


Second Chances

by soprano193



Category: Lie to Me (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-26
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-01-13 21:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 49,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1241530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soprano193/pseuds/soprano193
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cal and Gillian's life together.  How their life moves on.  T for now, any other chapters will be rated higher as needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So my other story, The Bloody Game, has a little bit of a backstory to it. So I decided to actually go into the backstory more. I hope it can live up to expectations! I do not own Lie to Me, but I wish I did.

            Emily had known all along.  Her father loved Gillian.  It was very exciting, because Gillian was her best friend.  And what adolescent girl doesn’t want her best friend to be a part of her family? Usually, it means trying to hook up her friend’s parents with her parents.  So, naturally, this was a very different process. 

            At dinner with her dad, she did some probing. “So, what exactly do you feel for Gillian?”

            “None of ya business, eat your toast.”

            “That strongly, huh?”  She took a sip of her water. “Look, I’ve steered clear of this topic for a few days.  So, what’s your plan?”

            “Nothing, Em.  She obviously doesn’t feel the same way about me.  I’ve been flirting for years, and have never gotten a second look.”  It was true.  He had been flirting for a long time.  Gillian either never noticed, or never reciprocated.  “What’s the point?  And why are you droning on and on about it?”

            “No reason, I just want you to be happy, you deserve that much.”  It was true.  Out of everyone in her life, her dad deserved as much happiness as he could get.  He seemed to have given up on real relationships.  Wallowski was just a way to get what he physically wanted, but she didn’t connect with him at an emotional level.  He had been alone for a number of years, with only Emily to keep him company.

            “I’m happy as long as you are around, luv.” 

She flashed him a small smile and looked back at her meal.  That was what she was most worried about.  She was leaving for college soon.  She was looking all across the country, but her top choices at the moment were in Chicago and California.  Soon she would be several time zones away from her father.  If he was only happy with her around, well, eventually that would not be a possibility because of her location.  And she was not about to let him follow her.  He needed something else.  Someone else. 

            “Aw, thanks dad.” She teased, her mind already thinking of a few ways to make this work.  This was going to take some time, and careful planning.  If she did this correctly, she could get her dad a new girlfriend in no time!

* * *

 

            The morning started with Gillian.  It almost always did, which definitely brightened his day.  She barged into his office wearing a navy blue, form fitting, short sleeved dress.  The pearls around her neck were the perfect accent, and her hair was pulled back into a half-ponytail, to keep the stray hairs out of her eyes.  He could hear her coming from the click of her heels across the floor. She was followed by two men in suits. “Cal, these are detectives Johnson and Connelly from the Police department.  They need our help on a case.”

            Johnson spoke first.  “We need you to help locate a missing child.” He held up a picture of a girl, aged around six or seven, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and pale skin.  In the picture she was wearing a purple sweater, and hugging a golden retriever.  “This is Phoebe Jackson.  She has been missing for seventy-two hours.  We have interviewed people close to her, and don’t have any leads.”

            Gillian watched him knowingly, already aware of his response, before he even said a word.  Cal couldn’t say no to the case.  He couldn’t say no to any case involving a child.  He always imagined Emily in these cases.  It broke his heart in the worst possible way, but it drove him to solve it that much faster.  Gillian also was unable to say no.  She had always been very compassionate, and although, not a mother herself, she understood the pain of losing a child.  Sophie had been taken from her against her will, so she fought harder to return lost children to their parents.

            Cal stood up. “I’ll need to start with the parents first!” He walked out of the office and down the hall without checking to see if they were following.  Gillian gestured that the men should follow, and started after him.

* * *

             Cal and Gillian sat in an interview room with Daphne and Harold Jackson.  They looked distraught, as anyone would in a situation like this, Harold’s head in his palms, and dark circles underneath both of their eyes.  Gillian asked the questions.  “Can you tell me what Phoebe was wearing when you last saw her?”

            “She was wearing jeans and a grey t-shirt with an elephant on it.  She loves elephants.” Daphne had to hold back her sobs while she was talking. 

            “And can you describe to me what she was doing the last time you saw her?” Gillian asked, her voice soft, leaning toward the mother across from her.

            “She was going to school.  I put her on the bus. She sat down and waved at me as it drove away.  I never thought that would be the last time I saw my baby.” Harold’s shoulders racked with sobs. 

            “Where were you two while she was at school?” Gillian continued.

            “Harold works in construction, he had a job down by town hall.  I work for an accounting firm.  I was at the office all day.” Daphne’s pupils dilated at the mention of the office. 

            “That’s strange” Cal butted in. “You were telling the truth, but you showed arousal when you talked about the office.”

            Daphne was defensive.  “I did not.” She sat back from the table, crossing her arms in front of her.

            “Well now you’re lying through your teeth.  What’s got you all hot and bothered about the office?” Cal continued with the line of questioning, and Gillian glared at him.

            “Cal.” Gillian warned.  When she said his name like that, the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.  He always knew when he was out of line by the way that she said his name. 

            “Seriously.  My daughter is missing, and you want to know about my day at the office? Go to Hell!”  Daphne was mad, but Cal could tell from the way that Gillian tilted her head back that she had caught on to something. 

            “Mrs. Jackson, I’m sorry, but your husband is right here.  You just referred to Phoebe as my daughter, as opposed to our daughter.  Is there a reason for that?”

            “I suppose it’s because whoever she is having that office romance with is potentially Phoebe’s real father,” Cal stated. Daphne put her head down and covered her eyes with her hand.  Shame. “Yep, I thought so.  So what is his name? We might need to talk to him.”

            “George Chase.”  She answered, her voice small.  Harold looked stunned, as if his world had shattered, and Cal could tell it was genuine.

            “You guys are free to go.” Cal said with a wave of his hand.  Before they left, Cal got up and left the room, storming down the hallway.   

            Gillian was hot on his heels, the click of her shoes giving away the fact that she was following him.  “Cal, where are you going?”

            “To Daphne’s firm.  I want to have a talk with George.” He answered, without turning around.


	2. chapter 2

            Cal was sitting in George’s office with Connelly.  Gillian had gone to the school, to find out exactly when Phoebe had gone missing.  They planned to meet up for lunch later and swap notes, hoping something would lead them to the missing girl.

            “How long have you and Mrs. Jackson been having an affair?” Connelly played the part of Gillian, asking questions while Cal observed.    

            George seemed genuinely surprised by that question. “Ten years, off and on.  I honestly believed that we had done a good job of keeping it a secret.” He pushed back from his desk, distancing himself from the uncomfortable situation. 

            Cal spoke up.  “Well, not much stays hidden from me.” He replied, his voice flat.

            “Were you aware that Phoebe could be your daughter?” Connelly asked, sticking to the list of questions that Cal had given him. 

            George nodded. “Yes.  But I was told that no matter what, she was Harold’s daughter.  Harold and Daphne had been trying, so Harold got to be dad, even if she was mine biologically.”

            “Do you know who Phoebe belongs to, biologically?” Connelly continued.

            George shook his head. “Honestly, no.  I don’t know if Daphne ever did a paternity test.”

            Cal spoke again, “But you have suspicions.”  It was a statement, not a question. 

            George’s lips pursed into a small smile for a second before he spoke.  “I believe she is mine.  She looks more like me than she looks like Harold.”  Cal could tell he wanted her, was proud of her.

            “Would you take her?” Cal asked, bluntly, his head cocked to the left while he read the man’s face. 

            “As in kidnap her? No, I wouldn’t.  Even if she was mine biologically.  I barely know her.  I don’t know her nicknames, her favorite color, what she likes to eat.  I don’t know what she is allergic to, or her fears.  Plus, I am a workaholic, I would never be home.  I can’t adequetly provide for her.  So I wouldn’t take her.” Cal could hear the disappointment in his voice while he spoke, and couldn’t imagine not knowing all of that stuff about Emily. 

            Connelly started to ask another question, but Cal stopped him.  “He’s telling the truth. Let’s go, anything else would be a waste of time.” With that, Cal stood up and left, without bothering to see if Connelly had followed him. 

 

            Gillian was already sitting down at that diner with a chocolate milkshake in her hand.  Cal sat down across from her.  She looked tired and worn, but these cases always did that to her.  He leaned back in his chair.  “You have the biggest sweet tooth out of everyone I know.”  She smiled.  He always knew how to make her smile when she was in the worst of moods. 

            “Today I needed it.  No one at Phoebe’s school saw anything.  She was seen all day, right up until the end, but she never made it on to the bus.  Did you get anything from George?” She took a sip of the milkshake, savoring the flavor, while listening to his response.

            Cal could see how distraught she was.  “No, luv, George didn’t kidnap her.  He believes that she is his, but he didn’t take her.  Did you talk to everyone at the school?”

            She shook her head, swallowing the mouthful of milkshake before she spoke.  “No.  That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.  The librarian, Allison Kelly, has called out of work for the past week.  She says that her cousin died.  But I think we should talk to her anyway.”

            “Alright, luv.  I’ll tag along.  Just tell me when.” He got up to leave.

            “Cal, I’m not done with my milkshake yet, and I haven’t paid.  Sit back down.”  Cal did what she said, and she laughed at the fact that she had that power over him.  She was the only person that he truly trusted, and therefore, did anything he could to please her.

            “How much longa then?” He asked, with a smirk on his face.

            “Not much.  How’s Emily?” she asked, changing the subject.

            He loved talking about Emily, but he wanted to stay far away from that subject for now.  Emily had been bugging him about his feelings for Gillian, and he was afraid something might slip out.  “Well, she’s alright.  She’s got herself a new boyfriend, Adam.  Adam is a football player.” He grimaced at her before continuing.  “Adam also has a two-month old with an ex-girlfriend.” Gillian raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I’m hoping that both of them trying to help out with the baby will teach her to be careful with birth control.  I don’t even know how involved Adam is with his son.  The whole thing scares the bloody daylights out of me.”

            Gillian took a moment for everything to sink in, formulating her thoughts before she spoke.  “Well, hopefully he has at least learned that his consequences have actions.  And I think that if he is involved with his son, Emily will see that it’s hard, and she will be careful as well.  The last thing she needs is a baby at her age.”

            Gillian had finished her milkshake.  She left a five on the table and stood up.  “Ready to go?” she asked him with a smile.  Cal followed her to the podium, where she told the person there that she had left money on the table and was all set with change.  She left the building, and walked over to her car.  When she got to the driver’s side she turned around, and looked at Cal. “Do you want to follow me or shall I follow you?”

            “You have the address luv, I’ll follow you.”

            She got into her car, and plugged the address into her GPS.  It would take about 15 minutes to get there. 

            She liked talking to Cal about his life.  Ever since Alec left, hers had become so boring.  Sure, she had that thing with Burns, but he had left too, even if it wasn’t his choice to do so.  Cal had been the only constant in her life.  She could always depend on him when she needed him, whether it was to bounce ideas off of him, or to cry on his shoulder, he had been there.  And he always seemed to know exactly what to do, from just a hug, or a well-timed joke, or just to cuddle on the couch with her while she cried. And she loved to watch him with Emily.  It was great to see such an involved father.  Emily was an amazing woman, and, strangely enough, one of Gillian’s closest friends.  When Emily had a problem, she came to Gillian first, before her mother, and before Cal.  It was very sweet and heartwarming to Gillian to know that she had touched the woman in some way. 

             


	3. Chapter 3

She was still thinking about Cal and Emily when they pulled into Allison Kelly’s driveway.  Gillian waited next to her car so that they could walk up to the house together.  Cal was the first to the door, and knocked on it three times.  A petite woman answered the door. “I don’t want to buy anything, and I have found Jesus already, thank you.” She started to close the door in their face, annoyed at the intrusion.

            Cal answered, “That’s not why we are here, and that last part was a lie.”

            She was taken aback by his response.  She looked instead at Gillian.  “Then, what can I do for you?”

            “We need to ask you some questions about Phoebe Jackson, a missing student at the school where you work.” Gillian cut to the chase immediately. 

            “I heard about that.  Her family must be beside themselves with worry.” She opened the door and let them in.  They entered, and stood awkwardly in the middle of her living room.  “I don’t know how much help I can be.  I was out for the past week.” She continued, her back to them as she closed the door.

            “Yes, we heard about your loss.  I’m very sorry.” Gillian was sincere.

            “Amy.  She was like a daughter to me.  Her mother was in and out of rehab, and I was the only one who would take her on.  She had Lymphoma, which was hard on a lot of other family members.  She was only nine, you know.  So young.” Her head fell and Gillian saw a single tear streak down her cheek.

Cal got a look at one of the pictures on the wall.  The little girl pictured had blonde hair that was the same length as Phoebe’s.  She also had brown eyes.  So he went for it.  “You know, looking at this picture of your cousin, she looks a lot like Phoebe, Don’t you think?”

“I suppose, they do look similar.” She seemed apprehensive, fiddling with her hands, looking Cal straight in the eyes.  So Cal started walking around, looking through doors, and peering in cabinets, not being quiet at all about his snooping.  “Cal.” Gillian warned.  She could see this was distressing Allison. But usually there was a method or reason for Cal’s madness, so she watched closely, and didn’t exert any more effort to stop him than her firm voice.  He stormed back into the living room.  While he was searching, Allison had moved toward the back of the room, stood by a closed doorway and crossed her arms. 

“What’s through that door, Allison?” Cal asked, as it was the only place he hadn’t looked yet. 

“Nothing.” She backed up, closing the door off to his investigation.

He placed a hand in the small of Gillian’s back, sending shivers up her spine.  “Gillian, luv, I need you to go through that door please.” He removed his hand, and moved slowly toward Allison, who had collapsed into a heap of tears on the floor.  Gillian’s heart ached for the woman, who just really wanted her cousin back.  Cal gathered the crying woman in his arms, and she curled into him. “You know what to do.” He said to Gillian, knowingly. 

Gillian opened the door and went through it without a question.  Cal held Allison awkwardly while she cried.  “I just wanted Amy back.  She was perfect.  I have known her for her entire life.  I have been there with her every step of her illness. Phoebe was perfect.  She is the spitting image of Amy, and she’s not sick.  She can never leave me.” She sobbed, and Cal rubbed her back, knowing that Gillian would find the girl, and call to police.  He just had to keep Allison there and keep her stable.

 

When Gillian got downstairs, she saw a bedroom that was covered in pink, and filled with stuffed animals.  “Phoebe?” she called. Nothing stirred.  She tried again.  “It’s okay, Phoebe.  My name is Gillian, I work with the police.”

A little blonde head poked out from under the blankets.  It was Phoebe.  She was unharmed and safe, but began to cry, obviously afraid.  Gillian gave her a hug, and stroked her hair.  “You’re safe now sweetie, don’t cry.”  She pulled out her cell phone, and called Connelly.  “This is Dr. Gillian Foster, from the Lightman Group.  We found her, alive. Please get here as soon as you can, and alert her parents.”  She hung up, and Phoebe spoke. 

“She told me she had a special book for me, but that I needed to come with her to get it.  She was always so nice to me at the library, always knew exactly what books I liked to read.  But why did she keep me down here?”  She was genuinely confused and a little scared.  Gillian just continued to stroke her hair and comfort her until the police arrived. 

 

            Gillian came into Cal’s office.  She carried two glasses with her, covered in flowers.  Cal poured scotch into both glasses, and they drank, as was their custom after a particularly emotionally draining case.  He spoke first.  “Allison Kelly is planning on pleading guilty.  Daphne and Harold Jackson are splitting up.  For a custody arrangement, they will need a DNA test, which we know will prove that George is the father, and Harold will have to fight for rights to see the daughter he has raised for the past seven years.” He felt bad for Harold.  If he lost Emily, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.  Phoebe was that man’s life.

            “At least she is alive. At least Phoebe is safe.  And I can sleep better tonight knowing that.”  Gillian added, and it was true.  Phoebe had clung to Gillian after the police had arrived, and the whole time at the precinct, waiting for her parents, unwilling to let go of the nice woman who had saved her.  Gillian was going to have nightmares that night, but they would have been worse if Phoebe had died.  “I’m going home.  It was a long day.” She stood up, shaking her head.  “Goodnight Cal.”

            “Goodnight luv. Drive safe.” He answered her.

            “I’ll be on my cell, if you need me.” She left his office and walked toward hers.  She was almost there when she heard a voice behind her.  “Hi, Gill”

            She turned around.  Only people who really knew her called her Gill, so she wasn’t surprised when she saw Emily behind her.  She smiled warmly at the brunette.  “Hi, Em.  What’s up?”

            “Can I talk to you?” Emily asked, her voice higher in pitch.  Gillian thought she sounded nervous.

“Of course.”  Gillian gestured toward her office, and Emily followed.  They sat down on the couch together. 

Emily had to be careful.  She didn’t want Gillian to know what she was really up to.  “There is this boy.  I’ve been friends with him forever, like, almost five years.  I think I really like him.” She started. 

Gillian interrupted. “You mean Adam? Your dad thinks you guys are already dating.”

Emily smiled and shook her head. “Well, not yet, but I’m interested.  Dad always thinks interested means dating.” She rolled her eyes, and Gillian laughed at her.  “But nothing is official.  I don’t even know if he likes me.  We have been friends for so long, that I just don’t want to mess up the relationship we already have.  Do you understand what I mean?”

Gillian understood all too well.  She had feelings for Cal, but wasn’t sure if he reciprocated.  Plus, there was that awkward dynamic of their partnership, and their long-standing friendship that dates way back into Emily’s childhood.  And, yes, Cal flirted, but the amount of flirting doesn’t always correlate with how much someone likes another person. “Yes, I get where you are coming from.” Gillian finally answered.  “What about his kid? Does that complicate things in your mind?”

Emily shook her head again.  “No.  He is an amazing dad, if anything, I want to be more careful.  I don’t want that yet.  But he is really involved with his son’s upbringing.  It actually makes me a little more attracted to him.” She smiled as she talked about him, and Gillian could see the admiration in her eyes.

Gillian understood where Emily was coming from.  Cal was great with Emily, and seeing them interact was a huge turn-on.  “I get that too.  It seems like you have a great guy on your hands.”

“Can you just hypothetically put yourself into my shoes? I mean, you and Dad have been friends forever.  If you had feelings for him, how would you approach it?”

Gillian smiled. “Your dad and I have a little bit of a different relationship, it’s more complex.  I can’t really put him into that equation.  But If I were in your exact shoes, I would go for it.”

Emily smiled.  Gillian had deflected.  She had feelings for her dad.  Now she just had to figure out what to do with this new information.  “Thanks, Gill.  I know I can always count on you to talk me through things!”


	4. Chapter 4

Emily left her dad’s office and drove home.  She was staying with Zoe that night.  She needed a plan, and she needed her father not to butt into what she was doing.  This involved him, and he couldn’t catch on. 

It was always hard keeping things from her father.  He could always tell when she was up to no good.  Sometimes it was okay, it always kept her from doing something stupid.  If she knew she would just get in trouble anyway, what was the point? But sometimes it was just annoying, especially when she was doing something to benefit him. No, he couldn’t know about this. 

She came home to an empty house.  There was a note on the kitchen table. _Emily, I have to work late tonight.  Dinner is in the microwave.  I love you, Mom_. Typical.

Emily reheated her dinner, pot roast and potatoes, and tried to figure out the next course of action.  Now that she knew that Gillian had the same feelings, it was okay to push forward.  Why couldn’t they see that they were both madly in love? They spend their lives reading other people, why couldn’t they tell when it came to each other? This is why they needed an outside force.  They needed Emily to push them together.  They would both be happier in the long run. 

She went upstairs and pulled out her phone.  She waited patiently on her bed for Adam to answer.  Her room at moms was different than at dads.  It was smaller, and painted a lavender color.  It hadn’t changed for years.  She had a twin sized bed shoved up against one wall, with white blankets.  There was a small television set at the foot of her bed.  The desk was on the other side of her room.  It was covered with papers, messily strewn about, different things highlighted, and little post it notes everywhere.  Her sanctuary.  She was seriously considering a career in writing. 

“Hello” she heard Adam answer, and heard a baby crying in the background.

“I’m sorry! Did I wake Brad up?” Her voice got high pitched and panicky. 

“No, you didn’t Em, he’s been crying all day. What’s up?” He sounded exhausted, and she would too if a baby had been crying all day.

Emily ignored his question.  “Why has he been crying all day?”

“He’s got a cold.  It sucks, and he feels miserable.  There’s not much I can do.  But what’s up with you? How can I help you?”

“I need to teach you how to lie to my dad.” And she told him her plan. And it was brilliant, if she did say so herself.

 

Cal’s phone beeped.  It was a message from Emily. **HEY. DO U THINK U CLD TALK TO ADAM 4 ME?**

He was confused.  Emily actually wanted him to talk to her almost boyfriend? He answered back. **Y?**

**I WANT TO SEE WHAT HIS INTENTIONS R. LIKE HIS PLANS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL ND STUFF. U CAN TELL IF HE IS BEING TRUTHFUL.**

So she wanted to hire him, sort of. **I CAN IF U WANT ME TO LUV. R U SURE?**

 **YES PLEASE. CALL HIM AFTER SCHOOL, INVITE HIM OUT FOR DINNER OR SUMTHING.** She sent the contact info to Cal.  He was baffled.  It was never this easy. 

Two hours later he was making the call.  Adam picked up almost immediately. “Hello?”

“Hello, this is Dr. Lightman, Emily’s dad.  Since you are interested in my daughter, I think we should meet, and talk man to man.” This was strange.  He preferred catching his daughter’s boyfriends in lies as she rushed them out of the house to avoid him.  He didn’t really know what to do in this situation.

“Of course, sir.  If that’s what you want.  Would tonight work? I have Brad for the weekend.” He answered. 

“Sure, the sooner the better.  How about we meet at Panera, at 8?”

“That works for me, sir.” Sir?

“See ya latea then” Cal hung up the phone.  Although strange, he was looking forward to this.  This would be fun.

 

Emily looked over at Adam. “So what is the plan?”

“He wants to meet at Panera at 8. I almost gave myself away at the end.  I almost told him I would see him later.”

Emily laughed.  She had instructed him not to meet her dad in person.  She told him to only say things that were true.  He did have Brad over the weekend, and Panera at 8 worked for him perfectly.  He just wouldn’t be there.  This way, the deception would be harder to notice over the phone.  “Thanks so much! I owe you one.” She smiled.

“How about a date then?” He asked, smiling brilliantly.

Her cheeks turned red.  She never thought it would actually happen.  “When?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Well, I’m free tonight, and we know your dad will be out.  So, maybe a movie?” he suggested.

“Uh, sure, I guess.” She sounded like a dork. “Pick me up at 8;30?”

“It’s a date.” He leaned toward her and pecked her cheek.  If she wasn’t blushing before, she was then.  She rushed to her car, and closed the door.  She silently thanked God over and over.  When she got over her shock, she drove to the Lightman group.  She had a plan to implement.

 

Gillian’s office door was almost always open.  This time was no exception, and Emily walked right in.  “Hey, Gill!” She called as she entered, a smile on her face.

Gillian looked up from her computer, and greeted the teen with her warm smile.  “Hi, Em.  Can I help you with anything?”

Emily nodded and sat down in the seat in front of the desk.  “Actually, yes.  As you know, Adam has a son, and Dad doesn’t exactly approve.  I was hoping you could meet with us tonight, so you could meet him in person, and tell dad how great he is.”

Gillian wasn’t sure.  Emily was her friend, but so was Cal, and she didn’t like getting in the middle of hers and Cal’s dynamic.  But she was so tired of going home to an empty house.  It might be nice to go out with someone, and just talk, even if they were about two decades younger than her.

Emily spoke again, “He trusts you, you know.  If you say Adam is a good guy, he might back off a little.”

Gillian sighed and nodded with a smile, conceding to the teen’s wishes.  “I guess I can do it.  What time are we meeting?”

“Panera at 8.  Thank you so much Gill!” The teen leaped up and hugged her tightly.  “Just please don’t tell dad.  I don’t want him to know that you get to meet Adam first.”

“I won’t tell him, don’t worry.” She laughed as Emily bounded out of the room

 

It was six o’clock when Cal left his office.  He needed to tell his partner that it was going to be an early night.  He walked down the hallway to her office.  She also looked like she was packing to leave.  “Got a hot date tonight?” he teased.

She turned around when she heard his voice, and smiled.  “Well, I’m not sure about the hot part, but yeah, I’m meeting a few people.”

He was a little surprised.  Ever since the divorce, she had kind of been a loner.  Sometimes Ria took her out, but she hadn’t dated at all since Burns, and had gone out even less.  “I’m happy for you” he replied genuinely.  If anyone deserved a night out, it was Gillian.  “I’m actually leaving early too.” He couldn’t tell her he was interrogating Adam.  She hated that he meddled so much in Emily’s life.  “I’ll walk you out luv.” He gestured toward the door. 

They walked toward the front together.  He looked her up and down.  He wished he could spend the night with her instead of doing this fishing expedition for Emily.  They got to their respective cars.  “Well, have a nice night luv.”

She planned on it. “You too, Cal.” With that she shut her door, and drove away.


	5. Chapter 5

Emily felt like a stalker outside of the restaurant.  But she had to choose the perfect moment to tell her father that Adam wasn’t coming, but that he wouldn’t be alone.  She watched him arrive at 7:45.  He was early, which was expected.  Emily knew that this was an opportunity that he would never be late to.  She watched him sit down at a booth near the back.  She pulled out her phone, and texted Gillian.  **WE R HERE ALREADY. TAKE YOUR TIME. WE HAVE A BOOTH NEAR THE BACK OF PANERA.**

Next, she composed a text to her father, but waited for the perfect time to send it. When she saw Gillian walk into Panera, dressed up rather nice for a meeting with Emily and her sort-of boyfriend, she hit send.  She put the phone in the glove compartment and smiled to herself as she drove away; she had her own date to get ready for. 

Cal’s phone chimed, a text from Emily.  He had a notebook of questions in front of him that he was supposed to ask Adam, and frankly he was a little confused.  But he would do anything for his daughter, and if that meant asking awkward questions to her almost boyfriend, then he would do it.  Besides, he liked seeing the boyfriends squirm.  He swiped the screen on his phone, bypassing the picture of Emily and him, a selfie that she had made him pose for, so he could read her message.

 **SO ADAM CLDNT MAKE IT, SO I SENT SUMONE ELSE INSTEAD. DON’T FORGET TO ASK ALL OF THE ?S OK! I WILL KNO IF U DON’T!**   Wait, Adam couldn’t make it, so she was sending another boy?  What was going on? When he heard a familiar voice behind him, his hair stood on edge. “Cal? What are you doing here?” Cal turned around to see Gillian, looking drop dead gorgeous as usual.  She was wearing a dark purple dress, that was short sleeved, and somewhat low cut.  Her hair was loosely curled and fell gracefully around her shoulders.  The skirt was loose, not necessarily as form fitting as Cal would like, but it left a lot to his imagination.  He felt underdressed next to her in his jeans and white t-shirt.

“Well, I was supposed to be meeting Adam tonight, but I guess he couldn’t make it.  Are your friends here?” He looked away, not wanting to see her disappointment.  She hated it when he pried on Emily’s life. 

Instead, Gillian looked confused.  “Cal, I was supposed to be meeting Emily and Adam here. What’s going on?”

It suddenly clicked in Cal’s head.  He remembered back to a few nights ago, when he had revealed to his well-meaning daughter that he was in fact in love with Gillian.  “Well, luv, I think this is a set up.” Gillian laughed. Her laugh was musical, and he loved it.  “Well, you might as well sit down, luv.  You drove all the way out here for a night out, so that is what you will have.”

She sat across from him in the booth, and tried not to blush.  This was interesting.  Wherever did Emily get the idea that they needed a date? She sometimes went out for a drink or two with Cal after a really tough case, and had joined them for dinner, but this was new and strange territory.  She noticed the notebook that sat on the table in front of him, closed so she couldn’t see whatever was inside.  “What’s this?”  She asked, reaching for it. Cal tried to grab it before her, but he was too slow, and started fidgeting. “Where do you see this relationship going?” She read the first question.  Suddenly, she really understood.  Emily wanted them to talk.  Like, really talk.  She could feel the heat rising at her cheeks as she imagined the way this night would go.

“We don’t have to do those, luv.” He looked embarrassed, and tried to take the notebook out of her hands.

“I think we do.  Someone went through a lot of trouble.  We owe her to at least try, don’t you think?” SShe searched his face, wishing again that she could see what he saw every day. 

He agreed. “I do.  But can we start with a different question? That seems like a tough one to start with.  Let me see.”  He took the notebook from her and picked one.  “What are your true feelings?”

She blushed.  “I don’t know Cal.” This was it.  Should she be honest with him, and tell him how she felt? Would he be able to tell if she was lying anyway? She decided just to go for it.  “I like that you can always make me laugh.  Always.  Even when my house has been ransacked, or I’m just having a bad day, or the case we are working is horrible and I just want to cry.  I always feel safe with you.  You are always there when I need you. You never let anything bad happen to me.  Cal, you know everything about me, stuff I never even told Alec.  You let me talk through all my issues with you, and you always comfort me.  I guess I am saying that I love you.” She had so much more to say.  The way that he never pushed her for answers, always letting her come to him.  The warm, fuzzy feeling she got every time she watched him interact with his daughter.  How angry she felt when he let Zoe take advantage of him, and manipulate him.  How every time his mother’s birthday came around, she just wanted to hold him and tell him it would be okay.  But she left it at that, that she loved him.  Hopefully that would be enough for now. 

He was visibly shocked.  He never expected to hear that.  “Gill, I have waited too long to hear you say that.  You have always been in my heart.” He took a deep breath before continuing, watching her face closely.  “When I split with Zoe, all I wanted was someone in my life like you.  But the only person I knew like that was you.  And you were with Alec.  And then you and Alec split, and I was happy.  I shouldn’t have been, but I was.  I gave you champagne, to celebrate your divorce.  But you didn’t seem interested.  So I was sure I was just going to have to love you from afar, like I had been doing for years.”  They were both surprised.  Neither of them had known what the other had truly thought up until that moment.

Cal asked the next question. “What are your fears, regarding our relationship?”

She answered quickly, the things holding her back easily springing to her mind. “Our company, for starters, what happens if everything goes south? If we can’t stand to even look at each other, what happens to our company?   I love it there, Cal. I don’t want to have to leave.” She watched him, he was listening attentively, his eyes not leaving her face.  “Also, how do I fit into your family dynamic? You and Emily have everything all worked out.  I don’t want to be the person that ruins that.” It seemed silly now, seeing as how Emily had come up with this plan, to get them talking, to get them together.  Emily obviously wasn’t worried about the change in dynamics, but Gillian definitely was.  “And our friendship.  I value our friendship, more than anything.  I don’t want to lose what we have Cal, even though I want so much more.”

He was silent for a moment, letting everything sink in.  He nodded. “I understand that.  But it’s not fair for us to be unhappy.  What if I promised you that if we happened to go south, which I don't like to think we would, that I would be an adult about the whole thing? That I wouldn't make you feel awkward around the office.  I can change my schedule to accommodate you.” Gillian smiled at that, but she knew it was easier said than done.  But she appreciated the sentiment.  “And you wouldn't disrupt anything with me and Emily.  Obviously, she really wants this for us!" Gillian laughed out loud. The young woman had gone through a lot of trouble just to get the two of them together like this. And it was extremely clever of her. 

“So then, back to my first question. Where do you see this relationship going?” Gillian raised her eyebrows and leaned forward, anticipating his answer.

“How about to a real restaurant?” He grinned, his eyebrows waving as he stood up to leave, his hand outstretched towards her.

She took his hand, a brilliant smile on her face.  “That sounds wonderful.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I don't update this here too much. I'm currently on chapter 34 on FF, and as I reread my beginning chapters, I realize that they aren't so great until I realize it's okay to post more than 1000 words in a chapter, or to try and describe things more. This is my first ever fic, and I hope you guys are enjoying it!

Cal insisted on a real date. He followed Gillian back to her house, just so he could pick her up properly. When she got in his car, he tried to ease the awkwardness right away. "Oy, Gill! Way to show me up! I'm a bit undadressed, don't ya think?"

She started laughing immediately. "I wasn't sure what the plans were. I have to be ready for everything! This is nice enough to eat somewhere fancy, but comfortable enough to be casual." Even outside of work she was very practical. 

"Well, lucky for you, I have a suit jacket in my trunk.” Which would still look funny with jeans, but he was okay with that, at least he would be a little dressier than he was presently. “How does Italian sound?" Gillian answered with a moan. She loved Italian food.  Cal laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes?” He grinned, and drove to his favorite Italian restaurant, in the heart of the city.

Gillian was not expecting that.  It was expensive, she was well aware of that, and immediately tried to back out.  "Cal, this is the most expensive restaurant in the city. We can get Italian anywhere else."

"I would spare no expense for your happiness." He shrugged.  “Besides, it’s the best in the city, and I won’t get Italian from anywhere else, except maybe Italy.”

It was darker inside, a calm environment, with people talking in hushed tones, and waiters with perfectly straight posture, calling them “sir” and “ma’am”. They got a table relatively easily, faster than Gillian had ever thought they would, and she wondered if he had bribed the maitre d’.  

They had the most delicious pasta dishes Gillian had ever tasted, hers with chicken and a creamy alfredo type sauce, and his with meatballs and marinara sauce, but four different types of cheese. They split a bottle of white wine. And Gillian ordered the largest chocolate molten lava cake she could for dessert. It was delicious, and melted in her mouth. There weren't words to describe how she felt about chocolate. It melted in her mouth and made her feel all tingly and lightheaded. 

They talked over dinner, but it had been mostly small talk, what was up with family, the weather, work. It wasn't until the cake came out that they decided to get down to business.

"So, this dinner was a great distraction, but where do you actually see this relationship going?" Gillian repeated the question for the third time that evening. 

"Honestly, I don't know.” He answered, visibly shrinking in front of her.  He felt so uncomfortable with this line of questioning.  “I would love to date you. I would love for it to be long term.” As her eyebrows raised, he became flustered. “I'm not talkin' marriage or anything like that; I wouldn't know that for a while.” He took a breath. “Basically, this wouldn't just be a fling to me. I haven't connected with anyone like this in ages."

"What about Wallowski?" She asked, and immediately felt guilty.

"That was a purely physical relationship." He answered, and Gillian looked hurt. "No! Wait, that came out wrong."  Cal stopped for a moment to look into her blue eyes. "I am not looking to jump into bed with you right this minute. It doesn't mean that I don't want you. It means I am willing to take this slow for as long as you need, so our relationship would have the best chance to work."

She nodded. "I'm willing to give it a shot. But I need some help from you.  Total, brutal honesty.  You can read me. You know if I am being truthful. I want the same assurance." 

"I can't always tell with you, luv. You're my blind spot." He explained.  She was too close to him emotionally for him to read her all the time.

"That's not always true, and it won't stop you from trying to read me." She had a point. If he was always trying, he might read her wrong, and that could just lead to more arguments, and sometimes, he could read her, despite how close she was.

“I can work on that." He agreed, and also made a silent promise to himself to stop reading her as well. He paid for dinner, and he walked her to the car. He opened the passenger side door for her. As he drove her home, her hand came to rest on his thigh. It was a bold move for Gillian to make. He shrugged off the awareness as best he could. He was going to let Gillian call the shots. 

He parked in her driveway, and ran around to open the door for her. "How chivalrous!" She exclaimed, a grin on her face. He then walked her to the door, holding her hand, their fingers entwined. "I had a great time tonight Cal. Thank you, and thank Emily for me." She leaned in and kissed him, square on the mouth. 

Cal kissed back, and was careful not to push too hard. Suddenly, her hands were on his head, running through his hair. He placed his hands on the curve of her beautiful hips. Her tongue tasted his bottom lip, and he parted his lips so their tongues could meet. She pushed her body into his, and slowly bit his bottom lip. They made out like this for a few minutes, fireworks exploding in his brain. Suddenly, she pulled away. "See you tomorrow?" She asked, with a grin on her face.

"Of course." He pecked her on the lips one more time before heading back to his car and driving off. 

Gillian felt like a giggly schoolgirl all over again as she watched him leave. She hadn't been looked at by a man like that in months, let alone made out with someone. And she could tell he wanted her, she could feel the evidence against her stomach. That's why she had pulled away; she didn't think she was ready for that quite yet. She wanted to take things slower, see where they went before she took that sort of leap with her partner and best friend.  She didn’t want to mess anything up.  But the night was magical. She would have to thank Emily later. 

When Cal got home, it was a little after midnight, and Emily was still up. She practically attacked him at the door. She had been sitting by the stairs, a book in her hand, waiting for him to come home.  "How'd it go?" She asked, a grin on her face, watching him enter the room with a childish smile on his face.

"Don't you have school tomorrow? Go to bed already!" he quipped, wanting to enjoy this feeling himself for a bit. 

"Did you ask her the questions? Did you guys talk? Are you officially a couple?" She was relentless.

"Yes, yes, and we're taking it slow. Seriously, go to bed." He waved his hand, dismissing her, but she continued to follow him around.  He should yell at her for interfering, or give her crap about _really_ meeting Adam.  But instead he shot down each one of her questions, not really wanting to discuss his love life with his meddlesome but well-meaning daughter.

So the conversation went, until Emily accepted the fact that she wouldn't get details tonight, and that she did have to be up early tomorrow. But she bounded up the stairs with a smile on her face. Her plan had worked. She got them to talk. And that's all the push they needed.

* * *

The next morning, Gillian walked straight into Cal’s office.  He was glad to see her of course, but he was especially glad after the events of the night before.  Today she was wearing a lavender colored, loosely fitting blouse with long sleeves.  The black pencil skirt stopped right at her knees.  And her black heels had a little peep toe.  She always looked ravishing, it didn’t matter what she wore.  He grinned at her.  “Good morning, luv!”

“Good morning, Cal. Can we talk for a bit?” She shut his office door.  He kind of liked where this was going. She walked over to his desk, where he was sitting, and smiled at him shyly.  “Can you do me a favor, and just keep everything I said last night between us? I don’t want the office talking, it might affect their productivity.”

“Yeah, of course, luv. Especially when we don’t even really know what we are yet.  The last thing we need is gossip while we’re figuring things out.” He nodded, understanding her request.

“Thank you!” She breathed a sigh of relief. She walked around his desk to him sitting in his chair, leaned down, and kissed him.  This one was quicker than the one last night, but no less passionate.  Their tongues did a short dance before she realized that she was at the office, and that anyone could walk in.  She pulled away. “I have to work on contracts.  I’ll see you for lunch?”

“It’s a date.” He answered with a smile. She turned around and left his office to walk to hers.  She could practically feel herself blushing. Man, she could get used to kisses like that, the kind that turned her stomach and had her reeling for more, making her weak in the knees.

She didn’t notice Ria walking down the hallway toward her, and almost bumped into the younger woman. “Hey, Gillian! Have you seen Lightman?” She asked, ignoring the fact that they almost collided.  “I could really use his help on this.  I can’t get a clear read on this guy.”

“Yeah, he’s in his office.” Gillian nodded, her face still flushed.

“Are you feeling okay? Your cheeks are a little redder than usual.  You’re not sick, are you?” Ria backed away, afraid of catching whatever imaginary disease Gillian had.  This made Gillian smile.

“Don’t worry, Ria, I’m not contagious!”  Ria couldn’t catch this love bug from her!

 

Gillian had been out in the field all day with Loker.  The Lightman Group was above cheating spouse cases, but sometimes, money was money, and without the FBI contract, they needed the money.  Cal usually left those cases to them, because they had more patience with them.  Meanwhile, he and his protégée were focusing on a murder case.  It should have been cut and dry, but any excuse Cal had to take Ria out and asses her field work, he jumped at. 

When Gillian finally arrived back at the Lightman Group, it was well past nine.  She walked into the conference room, where her client was waiting.  “Mrs. Harris.” She held out her hand for the younger woman to shake.  “Well, you will be happy to know that the prenup is void.  Your ex was definitely cheating on you.” Mrs. Harris smiled.

“He didn’t know what he had with me.  My mother always told me I could do better.  I just didn’t believe it until now.  Thanks so much, Dr. Foster.” Gillian walked her to the door.  When the woman was gone, and she was sure there were no more clients, she relaxed.  She took off her heels, and walked barefoot down the hallway to her office, carrying her heels in her hand.  She was surprised to see Emily, waiting on the couch for Gillian to arrive. 

“Long day?” Emily gestured toward the shoes that Gillian was carrying. 

Gillian laughed. “You could say that.  Honestly, when I know that I have this place to myself, I like to get comfy.  In fact, go check out the bottom drawer in my desk.”

Emily got up, and walked over to the desk.  Gillian watched with amusement while Emily bent down, and reemerged, with a pair of black yoga pants in her hand.  The women shared a laugh.  “Those pants have gotten me through long, tedious hours of paperwork.  Your father hates paperwork, you know? So, I usually end up doing the payroll and reviewing contracts.  I don’t mind, but sometimes I have to stay late.  And when I stay late, I get comfy!”

“Do you have a pair of fuzzy slippers hiding anywhere?”

“Oh! That’s a good idea!”  They couldn’t contain themselves, as they both fell on the couch into a heap of giggles.  “Speaking of Dad, did you guys have fun last night?”

“Oh, you sneaky little devil you!  I should have known!” she grinned at the teen, her heart beating faster as she remembered the previous night.  “Yes, we had a great time.  We went on a real date.  Your father even followed me home so he could pick me up properly for it.”

Emily laughed, “He is such a dork.”

“And he let me order the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake, and we talked.  Like really talked. It was nice.  Thank you for setting us up.  I really mean that.”

“So what does this mean? Are you guys officially a couple? Is my Dad your boyfriend?”

“We are officially taking it slow.  Your dad and I haven’t really figured out exactly what we want, but we don’t want to rush things.  The last thing we need to do is leap to quickly into something serious.  Right now, our relationship is between, Cal, you, and myself.”

Emily nodded, understanding. “Got it.  I won’t go telling everyone then.  But when you two tell your epic story about how you finally got together, don’t leave me out of it!”

“I don’t think we could if we tried!”

 

When Cal got to Gillian’s office, he saw his two favorite women in the world there.  It was great to see them laughing, and talking, forming their unique bond.  Gillian was like a second mother to Emily.  Emily often went to her with problems that she couldn’t talk to anyone else about.  And to see them both sitting on Gillian’s couch, Emily holding a pair of black pants and Gillian barefoot with a glass of water, made him grin from ear to ear.  He knocked on the doorway, and they both looked up. 

“Oy, Em.  I didn’t know you were here.”

“Well, You never gave me answers last night, so I decided to bug Gill instead.” She stuck her tongue out at him, but scooted over to make room for him on the couch.  He sat in the middle, and put his arm around both of them.  “Don’t you have homework or something to do at home?”

“Actually, I have to meet up with Adam.  We have a lab report due, and we need to exchange data.”

“Is that what you kids are calling it these days?” Cal suppressed a smirk, and Gillian chuckled.

“Dad! Gross! No, we both did half the experiment, and we’re lab partners.  I need to get his measurements, and he needs mine.”

“I’m not sure that changing the words makes it sound any better.” He quipped.

“Gross, Dad. Grow up.  I’ll be home in an hour.” She kissed him on the top of his head.  She then got up, and gave Gillian a hug. She dropped the yoga pants in Gillian’s lap. “Goodnight Gill, see you soon!” With that the young girl left. 

Gillian turned to Cal. “You just love to make her squirm, don’t you?”

He leaned in.  “That’s my job, as her father.  You wouldn’t understand.” She stilled a little at his words. “Crap, Gillian, I’m sorry.  I didn’t think.”  Why did he do that? He didn’t mean to rub in the fact that he had a daughter, or be so callous about the fact that she didn’t have kids.

“It’s okay, Cal, it’s not your fault.”  The chances of her having children were one in a million.  “I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not a mother.  I was once. For a whole fifty-seven beautiful days.  It is an experience that I will never forget, and that I will cherish forever.  But you should never feel bad for having the perfect daughter that you do.” She leaned in to kiss him then.  Maybe it was to make him feel better or perhaps to make herself feel better.  But the kiss was magical.  It was the third time she had ever really kissed Cal (fourth, if you count the porn office, which was just as magical) and it hadn’t gotten old yet.  He put his hand on her face, and bit her bottom lip.  She felt the muscles of his back ripple.  Soon his hands were on her hips, and she was running her fingers through his hair, both of them trying not to break the contact of their bodies.  His body seemed to melt into the contours of hers perfectly, and she never felt safer in her life than she did when she was kissing him. 

They made out for a good twenty minutes, before he pulled away.  “I hate to leave you, luv, but I want to make sure I am home before Emily.”

She was sad, but she understood.  He had other obligations. “That’s okay.  Same time tomorrow?” She had a sly grin on her face.

“Of course.” He kissed the top of her head, and left. 

She didn’t stay much longer. There wasn’t a lot of paperwork to finish.  She went home, and fell asleep with a smile on her face. 

 

The next day, when Gillian got to her office, she noticed the yoga pants were still on the couch.  She folded them up and walked over to her desk.  When she opened the bottom drawer, she found something in there she definitely hadn’t put there.  A pair of grey plaid slippers with microfleece on the insides. 

_Gill, I thought you might need these.  With all the paperwork that my Dad leaves you with, I’m sure you stay late more than you let on.  Enjoy! Emily_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rated M....

It had been three week since that dinner, when Emily set them up. Everything was going fine. They had many make out sessions in both of their offices, and gad been out on a few dates. Once, Cal took her on a picnic dinner. On another day, he took her to the college basketball game. Tonight, they were at her house watching a movie.  
"I can't believe you've never seen The Illusionist, Cal." She really couldn't. It was one of her favorites. A sweet love story, a few magic tricks, and the perfect length for cuddling.   
He popped it in the player. "That's why I have you, luv. You introduce me to new things. Keep it fresh."  
"Oh, it's my job to keep it fresh?"  
"I'm not sure I'm creative enough, luv. I keep it fresh by swapping out my aprons." Gillian laughed. His aprons, all with floral patterns, had been a way to tease him. But, if she was being honest, something about a man who was that secure in his masculinity really turned her on.  
He started the movie and moved over to the couch. He sat down, and Gillian snuggled in close. It was a whole thirty minutes into the movie that Cal became hyper aware of just how close Gillian's hand was to his crotch area. And it wasn't just sitting there. It was stroking up and down his inner thigh, much like it was during the role-playing at the porn maker's office. Where he and Gillian had their first kiss. He took his hand and started rubbing her back. He didn't want to push her.   
Suddenly, she was rubbing over the zipper of his jeans. He looked down at her and she looked back at him. Her pupils were completely dilated, and Cal was sure that if he looked in the mirror, his would be the same. Their lips met, and sparks flew, like they always do. It surprised him that they hadn't died off by now, that had been the case with him in the past. He loved when Gill kissed him because it always felt new.   
Gillian bit the bottom of his lip, and he started leaving a trail of kisses along her jaw, until he met that oh so crucial junction between the neck and the shoulder. She moaned in spite of herself, and felt her whole body get tingly. She wanted him now. She jumped up and straddled him, grabbing at his hair. She loved the feeling of his hair between her fingers. It was always so soft, softer than even hers. She reached for the bottom of his shirt, and pulled it over his head, gently. Following suit, Cal undid the buttons on her blouse, and it was easier to remove without breaking the contact of their lips. He stopped for a second to take in this new sight.  
She was wearing a red lacy bra. He took in whatever he could as fast as he could, and was floored when she reached behind her and unclasped the bra. It fell to the ground. He slowly took in her beautiful breasts. Then, he dove right in, working his way down from her shoulders. He tried to kiss every freckle. She moaned with pleasure and kept playing with his hair. He turned them ever so slightly, so that she was laying on her back on the couch. He backed away for a second, and pulled off her skirt. The underwear matched the bra. Too bad she wouldn't need them for long. He took them off her too, and marveled at the beauty that was Gillian. She was perfect in every way. He leaned down to her breasts again and slowly started kissing downward. Down across her flat stomach, pausing at her belly button. He moved down slowly again until he was hovering over the spot that she wanted him, as well as the spot he wanted to be. He placed a kiss on the inside right thigh, and the inside left, before actually hitting the spot.   
He flicked his tongue on her clit, and she shook with pleasure. He tasted her folds, ever so gently, and flicked her clit with his fingers ever so slightly. Without warning, he slipped his tongue inside of her, and her hips bucked. He brought his tongue and mouth up to circle her swollen clit. He could feel her getting closer and closer, so he stuck a finger inside of her.   
"Cal! I need you inside of me. Please stop teasing and just fuck me."  
He never thought he would hear that language from Gill. He sat back on the couch, and Gillian pulled down his pants. She gently stroked up and down his shaft before she climbed on top of it. When he entered her, it was like her entire body just exploded. She moved up and down, steadily increasing her pace. She leaned down to Cal and kissed him again. She moved like this for a while, getting faster and louder as she got closer to her orgasm. Cal could tell she was close, and he couldn't hold up much longer. He kissed her deeply and flicked her clit again. This was enough to send her over the edge. She writhed and contracted on top of him, and then he came, exploding inside of her.   
They embraced for a while afterward, just enjoying the closeness of each other. Cal brushed her hair out of her face and whispered in her ear. "I love you Gill. And not because of that. That was amazing. But I have loved you for a long time. I'm sorry it took me so long to finally admit it."   
She smiled and kissed him hard on the lips. "Cal, I love you too."


	8. Chapter 8

Gillian was sitting at her favorite little sandwich shop. She was dressed comfortably, as it was her day off. She had on a pink sundress that hit right at her knees. She wore flip flops with big pink flowers on the straps, and her hair straightened and down. This was one of Cal’s favorite dresses. They had been dating for three months, and he loved seeing her outside of work in her more casual outfits. But today, she wasn’t waiting for Cal. Today she was waiting for one of her oldest friends.   
A woman sat down across from her. “Gillian Foster, in the flesh!” The woman had on a short sleeved white blouse, and black slacks. She was wearing black, strappy heels that showed off her bright red pedicure. Her blonde hair was long, and fell in loose curls to the middle of her back. She had silver barrettes holding her hair out of her face.   
“Erin Morani! It’s great to see you again! It has been too long!” It was true; Gillian hadn’t seen Erin in at least six months. They had been inseparable in college. “Tell me about life!”  
“Well, Logan and I just had our 8th anniversary, and Kiley is turning four in a few months. And work has been driving me nuts! If I have one more person threaten my life, I might just lose it.” Erin was a social worker. A lot of times, when she had to remove a child from their home, she received death threats. They were never serious, but they did driver her nuts. “Seriously, do they understand that it is as hard for me to take a child as it is for them to lose theirs? It’s not something that I like to do.”  
“That’s understandable. It can’t be easy to uproot someone so small.” Her heart went out to Sophie in that moment. She would be three now. Gillian knew the little girl would never remember being taken, but Gillian would never forget the gut wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach when they took her baby girl away.   
They ordered their sandwiches, Gillian got a tuna club on pumpernickel bread, and Erin got a ham and cheese on wheat. Gillian also got a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie. “Ugh. I will never get over the fact that you eat that crap all the tame and still always look amazing!” Gillian laughed. Erin obviously didn’t know how much running she did to continue to look the way she did. “So tell me more about Kiley!”  
“Oh, she is a funny one! Takes after her father. She was taking a shower with me the other day, a normal thing. It was very typical, right up to the point when she turned around, looked at me and said ‘you know, you really need to lose some weight.’” Gillian practically spit out her food she was laughing so hard. “I’m starting to think that maybe she is old enough to bathe on her own!”  
“Kids say the damnedest things, or so I have heard. My niece Sarah has a few gems of her own! My brother, Nick, was sick one day. I mean, you know how bad I am when I’m sick? Well Nick is ten times worse!”  
“Oh, God, your poor mother!”   
“Yeah, well, he was complaining all morning to Nancy, my sister in law, and I guess Sarah had just heard enough. She looked him straight in the eye, and without provocation just groaned, ‘Dad, grow up’ and walked away!” Now they were both laughing.   
“Well, I actually wanted you to be the first to know. I’m expecting again!”  
“Oh! That’s exciting! Congratulations!” Gillian ran around to Erin’s side of the table to give her oldest friend a hug. “I’m so happy for you! That’s great news!”  
“And I also wanted to ask you if you would be the godmother?”  
Gillian could have shrieked, she was so excited! “Of course I will! Yes!” The women embraced again, and Gillian went back to her seat.   
“So, tell me about Cal! How is it going with you two?”  
“Great! He is just amazing, and so honest with me.”  
“That’s good! Can’t he tell when you are lying?”  
“Sometimes. He calls me his blind spot, and I know that there are some things that I can keep from him. There was that whole incident years ago when someone was threatening his family, that I managed to keep under wraps for years. But I don’t want to lie to him. I can tell him anything, without judgment. And he trusts me.”  
“How’s the sex?”  
“Wow, that subject changed quickly! It’s amazing, and that’s all I’m going to say.” It was, actually. When they kissed, she still saw sparks fly, and felt tingly all over. And she had to keep Cal at bay all the time. She didn’t want to get caught in a compromising position at the office because they still hadn’t told anyone yet. Also, it was extremely unprofessional. Also, just because Cal could see she was aroused, didn’t mean that they had to do anything right then and there. Cal couldn’t jump her every time her pupils dilated a bit. But when they were at her place or his, all hats were off!  
“Were people surprised when you told them?” Erin was genuinely interested to see how many people saw this coming from a mile away like she had. Gillian always talked about him, even when she was married to Alec.   
“The only people who know are you and his daughter. We didn’t want the office gossip.”  
“Okay, that’s not true, and you know it.”  
Gillian sighed. “Okay, so I wasn’t quite sure how it would go. I mean, we only talked because Emily tricked us, and we weren’t sure where it was going. I didn’t want the office gossip making or breaking my potential relationship, and now, I’m just not sure what they will think.”  
“You know, you can’t hide it forever. It’s not healthy to keep it under wraps.”  
Gillian knew she was right. “I will talk to Cal about making it official, and coming out of hiding.”  
“Does Cal want kids?”  
Gillian felt a pang in her heart. She hated this question. “We haven’t discussed that.”  
“All you have wanted your entire life is to be a mother, and you haven’t asked Cal his thoughts on the whole thing?”  
“Well, he has his daughter, Emily. She is seventeen, almost all grown up. I don’t think it’s fair of me to ask him to start again. Besides, I am getting older, and I just don’t know if that is in the plan for me anymore.”  
“You’re only 35. Stop talking like your life is over!”  
“I’m not trying to! I think I shut the door on kids when Alec and I split up. But I have my nieces, and I will have a beautiful godchild. They give me all the comfort I need.”   
Erin smiled and grabbed her hand. “Well, feel free to come over anytime. I’m sure that you and Kiley would have so much fun!”

It was nearing the end of the day when Gillian strolled into Cal’s office, barefoot and in his favorite pink sundress. “Hello luv, how was your day with Erin?”  
Oh, he got brownie points for listening! “It was great! We did so much catching up, and I’m going to be a godmother!” She was grinning from ear to ear.   
“That’s great, luv!” She walked over and pecked him on his lips. “I’m guessing, by the fact that you’re barefoot, that there aren’t any clients roamin’ the halls?”   
“Nope! And, I checked the lab, and the offices. Loker and Ria aren’t there either.”  
“So we got this place to ourselves.” He got up from his desk and led her over to the couch. She straddled him, and they kissed. Like so many times before, she had her hands in his hair, and he placed his hands on her hips. She bit his bottom lip. He slowly started to make his way down to that spot on her shoulder that she loved, when they heard, “Dr. Lightman, I... Oh God! I’m sorry!” They looked up to see a very flustered Ria at the doorway. “I didn’t know, I mean, I should have, um, I’m sorry!” She rushed down the hallway.   
“This, is why we do nothing more than kiss at work. I’ll go talk to her.” Gillian followed the younger woman down the hallway. “Ria, please, come talk to me.” Ria reluctantly turned around. Gillian gestured at Ria’s bare feet, “Taking lessons in comfort from me?” Gillian guessed that was why they didn’t hear her coming.   
Ria laughed. “Yeah. Emily was running late for school and dropped off some slippers for you with the note, asked me to put them in your desk. I was confused, so she explained quickly about how you walk around here barefoot after hours. I think that’s brilliant!”  
The women laughed together. “I’m sorry, I thought you were gone. We didn’t want you to walk in on us like that. Please know that it wasn’t going any further than kissing.”  
“How long has this been going on?”  
“About three months.”  
“And we never caught on! Man, I think I need to practice a little bit more!”  
“Are you surprised?”  
Ria laughed. “Hell, no! We actually have a pool going about when you guys would finally hook up! Closest without going over. I lost ages ago, but if I remember things correctly, I think Loker will be extremely happy!”  
Gillian laughed, and relaxed. She would have to fill Erin in. Apparently, no one was surprised, and the only person who had been surprised was herself and Cal.  
“I just hope you guys are happy.” Ria hugged Gillian, and as she walked away, turned around and shouted, “I’m leaving for the night, feel free to resume making out!”

“Surprise!” Gillian walked into the Lightman Group with a huge smile on her face, as all of her closest friends, family, and coworkers jumped out at her. Her nieces, Sarah and Sadie ran up to her and gave her a hug. Not wanting to be left out, Kiley did the same. “Auntie, tell me, did you know we were here?” Sadie asked.  
“I didn’t! You guys really surprised me!” They were in the same area where the Christmas party had been held a few years ago. Today, there wasn’t a tree, but there were pink decorations, and tables set up. In one corner, there were a bunch of cards, and in another there was a huge chocolate cake. A banner was hanging by the windows. Happy 35th birthday Gillian! The next person to hug her was Emily. “Thank you for coming, Em.”  
“Of course!”  
Gillian looked straight into the young girl’s eyes. “Did you plan this, or did your father?”  
“I swear, it was all Dad’s idea.” It was times like these that Gillian wishes she could actually read faces. She turned around when she felt a tap on her shoulder.  
“Oy! You think I can’t plan things like this on my own? Have some faith, luv!” He kissed her, and she knew. This was all him, he planned this whole thing for her.   
She felt a little hand tugging at her skirt. Kiley looked up at her. “Gill! What do you think?”  
Gillian leaned down to pick the sweet girl up. “I think that we should have some of that cake!”


	9. Chapter 9

Cal woke up with Gillian in his arms. It was always a nice feeling. He smiled, as the memories from the night before filled his head. She stirred and snuggled close to him. "What time is it?"

"Seven."

"Ugh. I need to get up." She started to move, but Cal held her tighter, and she laughed. "Seriously, Cal! We both need showers, breakfast, coffee, and I need to get dressed and do my hair and makeup. Let's move!"

She struggled to get free of his grasp as he pulled her in a little tighter. He gently kissed her neck, and finally released her. She headed toward the bathroom. She was wearing one of Cal's t-shirts that barely covered her butt. He smiled, and got up as well, and headed toward the kitchen.

He went over to the coffee pot and started brewing coffee. Next, he got out a frying pan. He cracked two eggs and let them fry. While waiting on the eggs to cook, he toasted some bread, and got the cheese out of the fridge. He was all out of meats, so they would have to live with just egg and cheese sandwiches. He needed to go shopping.

Gillian came downstairs in her bathrobe. She had taken to leaving it at Cal's, that's where they spent most of their time together. She was pleased to see a sandwich that had already been made for her, and a cup of coffee made to perfection. She smiled, as she took a bite of her sandwich. The yolk popped open, and the juices soaked through her bread. Perfect! It had taken Cal some time to get used to her preferences with egg sandwiches. She liked the yolk runny; he liked his cooked all the way through. She usually ended up remaking her sandwiches. "Thank you Cal, it's delicious!"

"Maybe to you!" They laughed, and Cal finished his sandwich. He left his dishes in the sink and ran upstairs to take his own shower. Gillian finished her breakfast and washed all of the dishes. It was funny to her how easy it was for them to do this domesticity stuff. They hadn't even talked about it, but had just picked up doing different duties. Cal usually cooked, Gillian cleaned, Cal did laundry, and Gillian made sure the house didn't look like a train went through it. It was just easy, and she loved it.

When Cal got out of the shower, Gillian had already changed into her outfit of the day. She had a light blue shirt, and white pants. Her hair was curled, and landed right on her shoulders. She was putting on her makeup in the mirror. He hugged her quickly.

"Am I shattering the illusion?"

"The only way to do that would be to tell me you don't exist!"

She kissed him. "I love you, Cal"

They walked into the Lightman Group together, his arm around her shoulder, and her arm around his waist. Now that everyone knew they were dating, they didn't have to hide it anymore. And it was the most freeing feeling Gillian had ever felt. When they got to Cal's office, they were surprised to see that they weren't alone. Zoe was sitting on the couch. "Well, I was waiting for Cal, but I guess you are both here."

"Hello, Zoe." Cal shivered. When Gillian used that tone of voice, he knew it was bad news.

"So, how long has this been going on?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but about four months. I'd have thought our daughter would've told you everything. It's because of her master plan that Gill and I ended up together."

"Well, just don't pull her into this too much. When this relationship goes down in flames, I don't want her to be pulled in with it."

Gillian spoke up, "What makes you think that this relationship will go down in flames?"

"Oh, Cal has his ways. He can see every little lie, and they all just eat away at him. Plus, there is the added fact that he can see your lies, but you can't see him. It all leads to a very messed up and toxic dynamic."

"Maybe I should let the two of you talk. I'm going to my office." With an uncomfortable look on her face, Gillian left.

"For your information, I can't read her! She is too close to me. It's why Emily can sometimes lie to me too, especially when I'm not trying to read her! I am trying my hardest to make sure this doesn't go down in flames."

"Let's face it, Cal. You and Gillian can't work because you and I have too much history. You always come back to me."

"Not anymore. I think it's best that the Lightman Group cuts any and all ties with your office. Goodbye, Zoe." He walked over to his desk and sat down.

Zoe got up and walked toward him. "You can't get me out of your life that easily, we have a daughter together, Cal."

"You're right, and for her sake, I will be civil with you. But I don't want to see you unless it has something to do with her. No more personal visits. Goodbye, Zoe."

"Whatever, Cal." With that, she turned on her heels and left.

...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Cal! We are going to be late! Hurry!" Gillian yelled toward his bedroom. They were headed for a Fourth of July cookout at her brother's house. She was wearing a red, short sleeved shirt, white pants, and a blue bandana in her hair, as was her family tradition. They completely decked themselves out in red, white, and blue.

"I'm having some trouble, luv." Ugh, sometimes he was so irritating! She went to his room and found him in a red polo shirt, jean shorts, and bare feet. "I don't want to count socks as my white thing, but I don't think I have anything else! Why couldn't you have reminded me?" It was true. Cal wasn't used to the American holiday, and he definitely hadn't heard of Gillian's family tradition.

"Cal, I have an idea. Take off your shirt."

He grinned. "I thought we were going to be late?"

She laughed. "No! Not now, maybe tonight. But just trust me, take off your shirt." She rifled around in his drawers and pulled out a white shirt.

"Gillian! I can't wear just white and blue; I figured red and blue would be good enough!"

"Hold on, I'm not finished!" She searched in the closet; she knew it was in there somewhere. "Yes!" she exclaimed, triumphantly. She came out with a red cap held above her head. A West Ham United cap. "I knew I had seen that in here! But I'll make sure you're better prepared next year!"

They got to Nick's house just in time to get attacked by the two little girls. Sadie and Sarah came flying at Gillian, practically knocking her off of her feet. "Hey, guys! What's up?"

"Daddy's cooking chicken on the grill, come see!" Sadie pulled her aunt toward the backyard. Cal looked down at Sarah. "Shall we go see?" She grinned. He picked her up and went running after Gillian and Sadie. The twins looked adorable, in sundresses that had fireworks on them (red, white, and blue fireworks, of course). Much like their aunt, they each had a different color bandana in their brown hair. Sadie's was blue, and Sarah's was red. Cal shook Nick's hand, and set the girl down.

"How are you doing, Cal?"

"Great, thanks for inviting me!"

"Where is your daughter? It's, Emily, right?"

"Yes, her name is Emily. She likes to spend her Fourth of July with her American parent. I don't usually do much." In fact, Cal usually worked. This was different for him.

"Well, she should come next year. It would be nice to have her!"

Gillian was completely engaged in everything her nieces were telling her. Boy, could they talk, especially Sadie. They usually stayed pretty busy; Nancy would take them to do gymnastics, even when the school year was over, so they always had a story to tell. Cal listened in as Sarah told Gillian yet another story. "We were swimming at the beach, and there was a very mean older boy. He kept yelling 'SHARK' because he liked to laugh when me and Sadie got scared."

"You know how to tell if he is lying? If there really had been a shark, when he yelled 'shark', his voice would get so high, he would have squeaked. Then, he would have run toward the shore screaming. He wouldn't have stayed out in the water with the shark. So if you ever hear a little boy screaming like a girl, then you know it's real!" Cal then yelled "SHARK!" over and over, cracking his voice like a pubescent boy every time. The girls were rolling in the grass, laughing so hard, and Gillian was grinning from ear to ear.

"Girls, it's time to eat!" They ran toward their dad to get food. Cal ran after them. He was starved. When Gillian got up to her brother, she gave him a proper hug. "It's so nice to see you again, Nick. Thanks for the delicious food!"

"You know, you are welcome anytime, Gill. The girls would love it if you would spend more time with them!"

"I really should take you up on that! By the way, where is Mom?"

"Oh. She couldn't make it because she made plans with her boyfriend's family."

Gillian was a little hurt by this. Her mother had missed every major holiday to spend time with her boyfriend's family, including Gillian's surprise party a month and a half ago. "Well, I hope he's good to her." Was all that she said.

Cal was sitting with the girls, and talking to them. So Gillian decided to spend some time with Nancy. She sat down across from her at the table. "How are you doing, Nancy?"

"Okay. The summers are the hardest, the girls tire me out, and I don't get the break that the school day usually brings."

Gillian nodded. "Well, maybe I can help with that. Nick said I should come over more, play with the girls. I think that would be fun, and it would give you guys a break. Or, we could choose two days a month, and that would be date night, and I could watch them! Whatever I can do to make this easier. You know, I love those girls."

"That would be fun! We would owe you big time! Maybe we could repay the favor. Have you and Cal talked about kids at all?"

"We haven't, and I am content with Emily. She has always held a very special place in my heart. Without her, I wouldn't be as happy as I am today!"

"But look at how he is with them!" Gillian looked over. Seeing Cal gush over her nieces made her heart melt. "He would be such a great Dad."

"That's the thing. He already is. Emily is 17, it's not fair for me to ask him to start over. So I will spoil Sadie and Sarah rotten and drive you nuts. But that's it for me, and I am okay with that." And she was. She told the exact same thing to Erin almost two months prior, and nothing had changed. She just wanted people to stop asking her that question.

"Just as long as you're sure. And I will let you take these girls whenever you want."

"Cal, why do you talk funny?" Sarah gazed up at him, and Sadie followed suit, intrigued by the question.

"I don't talk funny, you guys talk funny!" The girls laughed.

"No, for real! You talk funny!"

"It's because I come from another country, across the ocean." They looked at him blankly, so he pulled out his phone, and looked up a map. "See, we are here." He pointed to D.C. "And I grew up way over here." He dragged his finger across the ocean and pointed to England. "Everyone there talks like me, and not like you. So I think you girls talk funny, and you girls think I talk funny!"

"That's weird." Nick came over to pack them into the car. They were headed to the Washington monument, to watch the fireworks. It was crowded, as usual, but amazing. Fireworks were always spectacular to watch. Sarah sat in her dad's lap, and Sadie sat in Cal's. The both fell asleep getting carried back to the car. Nancy offered to take Sadie multiple times, but Cal didn't mind, even if it meant taking longer to get back to their car.

Back in the car, they had a decision to make. "Your place or mine?" Cal asked.

"Yours. It's closer." So they drove off to Cal's house, laughing about the girls and all the crazy stories they told.

"You know what I was thinking? Maybe you, me, and Emily should take a weekend and go to the beach. It would be fun!" He meant it. It would be nice to take a holiday with his two favorite girls.

"That would be fun. Under one condition." Cal looked at her, eyebrows raised, anticipating her condition. "You can't yell 'shark' in the water." They both laughed.

"Shark!" Cal said. His voice cracked, and Gillian laughed, in spite of herself.


	10. Chapter 10

They were finally at the beach. They never thought that when Cal mentioned it at the Fourth of July cookout, that it would take more than a month to get a weekend off. But there had been a murder case, a serial rapist, and staff members at a new mental health facility to interview. It seemed like they had case after case every week, and it had been draining. But now, it was the middle of August, and they were headed to the beach for an entire weekend.

The hotel that Gillian had found was nice. There were two separate rooms, and a mini kitchen. Emily ran into one of the rooms, and plopped down all of her stuff. "This one is mine!" She started unpacking her things and putting them in the small chest of drawers in the bedroom she had claimed.

"Fine. Ours is better anyway!" Cal said to her, and everyone laughed. He led Gillian toward the other room. It was probably true, theirs was better. It was larger, and was the closest to the bathroom. Gillian followed Emily's example, and unpacked her stuff into the little drawers. Cal didn't, when he traveled, he preferred to live out of his suitcase. Emily bounded into the room a few minutes later. "So, what's first? Swimming at the pool, walk along the beach, shopping? What's the plan?"

"What about a walk along the beach AND shopping?" Gillian's suggestion had the teen jumping for joy.

"Yes! That's brilliant! Let's go what are we waiting for?" She grabbed her father's hand and pulled him toward the door. Gillian erupted in a fit of giggles at the scene in front of her. "Gill, you coming?"

"Yes! I'm right behind you!"

They walked along the side of the beach for hours. Gillian and Emily dragged Cal into store after store of clothing. They put on a number of fashion shows for him. Emily found a few cute tops that she wanted, and Gillian found some sundresses. Cal bought his favorite one for Gill, a long white dress with a large pink hibiscus on the side of it. They got steak and cheese from a little shop on the side of the beach. And toward the end of the touristy area, there was an outdoor amphitheater, where a little known band was playing. Cal was pleasantly surprised. They were quite good! They walked back to their hotel room, Cal and Gillian hand in hand, and Emily talking a mile a minute about plans for tomorrow.

Cal and Gillian slept in the next day for the first time in over a month. They walked into the kitchen to find a note from the teen. Don't worry, I didn't leave the hotel, I am at the pool. I figured you guys needed your beauty sleep! Meet me down there! –Emily

"That was really thoughtful of her!" Gillian had appreciated the full night of sleep.

"Oy, look at this!" He called out from the kitchen. Gillian turned to see what he was pointing at. A full pot of coffee. "She really is thoughtful, isn't she?" He sounded surprised at this statement. Gillian poured two bowls of cereal for both of them. Cal made them each a cup of coffee. They ate as fast as they could, so they could start the new day.

"Cal! Can you help me put sunscreen on my back?" Cal had been in the bathroom, when he heard Gillian calling from the other room. He went to the room she was in, and his jaw hit the floor. I mean, he had seen her naked, but this blue string bikini she was wearing made her look downright sexy! He squirted some sunscreen in his hands, rubbed them together, and started to sensually rub sunscreen over Gillian's back. He started to slip his hands under the bottom of her bikini, but she stopped him. "We can't right now! Emily has been waiting long enough." It was true, he didn't know what time she had left, but it wasn't fair to keep her waiting any longer.

"Can I get a rain check then?"

"Yes, for tonight! But not right now. Have you put sunscreen on yourself yet?"

"No. I need help."

She squirted sunscreen in her hands, and rubbed it all over his back. His shoulders were so tense, so she massaged them. They couldn't do this now! She stopped, and grabbed her towel and her sunglasses. "Coming?"

Cal looked a little disappointed, but he got it. Emily was waiting.

Emily was lounging poolside with a book when they arrived. She waved them over. Cal put down their stuff and leaned down to give his daughter a hug. "Thanks for letting us sleep in. And thanks for the coffee. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, any time! You guys deserve it!"

"How long have you been down here?"

"About two hours. I am kind of bored with the pool; can we go to the beach instead?"

"Yeah, let's go." With that they were up and walking across the street, towards the ocean. Gillian found a nice place to set up, and laid out the towels.

"Race you in the water!" Emily pushed her father out of the way and ran towards the ocean. Cal recuperated quickly and caught up with her at the water's edge. He then scooped her up, carried her bridal style, waist deep into the water, and tossed her in. Gillian watched all of this and just laughed, it amazed her how Emily could act all grown up one minute, and a kid the next. And Cal, her ever-present father, knew just how to respond.

Gillian joined them in the water. They all acted like children, splashing each other, and dunking each other under the water. Gillian had also been lifted by Cal, and thrown, and she in turn swam under the water and grabbed his feet, knocking them under. When he popped up, she looked him straight in the eye, and said, "Shark!" allowing her voice to crack. This had Cal laughing hysterically.

"How come you get to say it, but I don't?" he pouted dramatically, pausing from his laughter to stick out his lower lip.

"Because, you'll terrorize everyone!"

"Fine." He jumped at her, grabbed her in a tight embrace, and yelled "Giant squid!" before dragging them both under the water.

They all took some time to stop attacking each other and just float out in the waves. It was extremely relaxing, and just what they needed after a long month.

"Hey, Gill. I was thinking. These last six months have been incredible. And I really want it to continue. Maybe, we could move in together?" He blushed. It sounded better in his head. He was going to have to do some thinking before he asked her any more pressing questions.

"I think that's a great idea!" She kissed him hard on the lips.

"So I thought we could look at listings later this week, and go hunting…"  
Gillian cut him off, "Or I could just move into your place. I really only need my clothing, and a few pictures, all the furniture could stay. I could sell the house furnished. It all reminds me of my life with Alec; I don't care about that anymore. I want a life with you. Plus, it's Emily's senior year coming up, you can't uproot her!" She was so excited, she was talking a mile a minute.

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess it makes more sense."

"Have you asked Emily? I don't want to overstep anything."

"Hey, Em, can Gill move in with us?" He yelled over into the general direction of his daughter.

Gillian smacked him on the chest, hard. "Not like that!"

Emily swam over. "I figured she was already living with us anyway, she's over enough. Hey, can we go back and see who is playing at that concert place again tonight?" She was completely unfazed.

"Sure." Gillian watched this moment in awe. She had never seen any two people act this carefree about such a big thing. It was strange but sweet all at the same time.

Gillian got out of the water and went to her towel, sunbathing while reading a book. She was really getting into it when Cal and Emily came back over to her. "We should head back and change if we want to make it in time to see the live music." Gillian nodded in agreement, and they left.

The band that night was just as great as the band before. They danced for hours and had a great time, and Cal barely let Gillian out of his sight. They walked back to the hotel room on the beach, and not near the shops they had already seen yesterday. Cal and Gillian walked hand in hand, while Emily walked ahead of them, collecting seashells. Cal grabbed Gillian's hand. "My name is Cal Lightman. I am 41 years old and enjoy long walks on the beach." Gillian started laughing. "And I love you, Gill, with all my heart." They stopped and kissed. The next thing they knew, there was a phone in their faces, snapping a picture.

"Oh! Look at that! It's so cute!" Emily showed them the picture she took, excited by her photography skills. It was cute, Gillian and Cal looked so natural and tender, and the sun was setting in the background.

"We need one of you and your Dad. Here, I'll take it, just pose!"

Cal whispered in his daughter's ears and she grinned. The next thing Gillian knew, he was down on his knees, and Emily was hopping up on his shoulders. Cal stood up, and Emily stuck her arms out as wide as she could, with the biggest grin on her face. Cal just smiled, but his eyes were full of joy. Gillian laughed, it was the perfect picture. It captured their relationship perfectly.

A man stopped while Gillian was taking their picture. "You should get in there too! It would be a sweet family picture!"

"No, it's fine, really." Gillian said.

"Gill! Get your butt over here!" Emily yelled at her. Her father had put her down on the ground.

"Yeah, luv, come on over." Gillian gave the phone to the man, and headed over. Cal and Emily sandwiched her between them.

"Say 'cheese'!" He took the picture, and gave them the phone back.

"Thank you!" Gillian waved at the man as he walked off. They headed back toward the hotel room again, and picked out a movie to watch when they got there. But by the time they got back, they were just too exhausted to do much of anything, so they all went to bed.

The next day, Emily woke them. "Guys, we should go to the beach again for just a few hours before we have to drive back. And if you are sleeping all day, that won't happen, so let's go!" She yanked the covers off of them and left the room. Cal and Gillian laughed.

"Is it always like that with kids? Do they ever let you sleep in?"

"Once in a while! Like yesterday, yesterday was an anomaly. Usually, it's like this." He got up, and grabbed his other swimsuit from his bag. Gillian changed into another bikini, this one red. They lathered each other up with sunscreen, and met the young girl outside of their room.

When they got to the beach, they all raced to the water. There was plenty of pushing and shoving. Emily and Gillian tag teamed Cal, both of them sneaking up to him and dunking him in the water. And so it began, the most epic of water fights. It went on for hours, and there was not a winner declared. But they had to go. They reluctantly picked up all of their gear, and headed back to the hotel. There they packed their belongings and checked out. The drive back to D.C. was not nearly as fun as the drive there.

Gillian's phone chimed. She squealed with delight at the message that was there.

"So, are you going to tell us or leave us hanging?" A curious Emily piped up from the back seat.

"Erin had her baby. A boy, named Felix. I just got the first picture of my soon to be godson!" She passed the phone back to Emily.

"Oh, he's a cutie!" She gave the phone back.

"We can stop at the hospital along the way, you can shower him with goodies."

"That's okay, I don't have goodies for him yet."

"Well, there's no time like the present!" He pulled off the highway, and quickly found a little shopping plaza. Gillian went into the Babies r Us, and bought two outfits, and a little stuffed dinosaur. The outfits were essential. He was a baby surprise, so they had a lot of yellow and green outfits. Gillian bought him one with dinosaurs that matched his new toys, and one with a monkey on it that read 'mommy's little man', both blue. She went back to the car, and they headed for the hospital.

When she found Erin's room, she knocked quietly.

"Come in" called the voice inside. Gillian opened the door, and saw a huge smile across her friend's face. Gillian gave her a hug.

"Cal insisted we stop on our way home to see you, he even stopped so we could pick some things up." She held up the bag of goodies.

"Well, where is Cal?"

"Out in the car, with his daughter, waiting."

"Don't leave them out there! Tell them they can come up!" Gillian sent out a quick text, and turned her attention to the bassinette. "He is sleeping, so I don't want to pick him up. But you can look at him." Gillian walked over quietly while Erin opened the bag. Gillian saw the most beautiful little face she ever thought she would see. She brushed a finger softly against his cheek, and he turned his head toward her.

"I love the outfits, thank you!" Cal and Gillian had come in quietly. "How are you guys doing? I haven't seen you since the surprise party!"

"We're good." Emily answered. They stayed for about an hour and talked about the beach, and Erin listened wholeheartedly.

Cal stood up suddenly. "I think we should let you get some rest. Congrats on your new baby. He is beautiful." Gillian and Emily both hugged Erin goodbye and they all left.

"I didn't want to cut your visit short, but I could see how tired she was. I didn't want us taking a toll on her."

"Thank you for watching out for her." Gillian kissed him. "Come on, let's go home."


	11. Chapter 11

There was a bug going around. Emily had caught it first, she thought from Adam and Brad, and brought it to the house. She was down for the count for two days, vomiting with a fever. Next, Cal caught it, and he was also out of commission for two days. They stayed out on the couch, covered in a blanket, and within easy walking distance to the kitchen so they could make soup, or grab more crackers. Lastly, Gillian caught it. And they were just getting started.

Cal went into their bedroom to find Gillian curled up with as many blankets on her as humanly possible. She was facing away from the door. He came over with some crackers and ginger ale. "Hey, luv, I brought you something."

She turned around, and cringed. "Cal, I'm sick. I can't eat that. I can't eat anything."

"It's not healthy not to eat anything, luv. Just try." The truth was, Gillian hated being sick. When she had a cold, she pumped herself full of any medicine she could find, almost to the point of delirium. When she had a fever, she usually stayed in a nice bath all day, to keep herself feeling warm. And when she was throwing up, she didn't eat anything at all, no matter how much it was supposed to help. "Luv, if you don't eat anything it will just take you longer to heal. You need to keep the rest of you healthy so you can fight this off." He stroked her head, she was burning up. "And you should take a cool bath; try to get this fever down.

"I will take a warm bath later."

"Not warm, cool. We want your fever to come down."

"No! I don't want to still be shivering. I just want to feel normal." It didn't matter that his logic was sound; she didn't want to feel sick. And if she was shivering, she would feel sick.

"Luv, you're sick, you're not going to feel normal." Cal felt like he was fighting with a toddler. "I have to go to work. One of us has to hold down the fort, and you need your rest." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you." He got up and left.

Gillian stayed under her covers. She was so warm, it was a little uncomfortable, but as soon as she took off all her covers, she started shivering. She would rather be unusually warm than be cold. She reached out for a second to grab her book. She stayed under the covers for two hours like that, just reading. She finally fell asleep, and napped.

When she woke up, she really wanted a warm bath, but her muscles were just too sore. The thought of moving anywhere made her cringe. She reached for the remote, and turned on the TV instead. It was the usual daytime TV, talk show upon talk show, paternity tests and cheating boyfriends. She found a Law and Order marathon, and stopped there. This, at least, had the potential to be interesting.

When Cal came home, there were no dirty dishes in the sink. Gillian was still curled up in a ball on their bed, and she hadn't eaten the crackers, although he could see that the ginger ale was mostly gone. Good, she was staying hydrated. He joined her on the bed. "This episode is a good one. Robin Williams plays an excellent bad guy."

"Yeah, I like it so far. I like the psychology aspect, detective Milgram, the Milgram experiment. It's interesting."

"That girl in the beginning, from the burger place, who was assaulted because of that phone call, doesn't she look a lot like Ria?"

Gillian grinned. "Yes! She looked exactly like Ria! I did a double take!"

"Maybe she has a twin that she never told us about!" They laughed, and it was the most normal she had felt all day. Cal allowed her to finish the episode before he tried to move her. "Alright, luv, we need to move you downstairs."

"Why. I can't move, I'm too sore." She pouted.

"Well, I was sick for a few days, and now you have been sick. If you're not going to do anything to make yourself feel better, then I have to. I am washing the bedding." He was already taking the pillows from his side of the bed and taking off the pillow cases. "I don't want to get sick again, and I want you to get better quicker. Besides, the nice, clean sheets will feel nice."

"Cal, I'm fine. I don't want to move, it hurts too much."

Cal went over to the side of her bed. He leaned down and scooped her up off of the bed, and carried her bridal style down to the couch. He set her up with some more ginger ale and the TV back on Law and Order: SVU. He brought all the bedding downstairs and washed it. It was a chocolate brown color, and thick. It was one of the things that he and Gillian had picked out together when she moved in. She wanted a house that didn't remind her of Alec, and he wanted a place that made him think of Gillian. So they had bought some new furniture, a different bedspread, and hung some different pictures. The result was a home that they both felt comfortable in.

Cal grabbed his laptop and went up to join Gillian on the couch. He was typing away, very focused on his work. "What are you doing, Cal?"

"Finally writing that book. It was hard at first, but lately, I feel like I have all sorts of ideas."

"What did you decide to write about?"

"You." She looked surprised, and flattered. "Well, not just you, but how hard it is for me to read the people closest to me. So you, Emily, my brother, people like that. Some of the limitations to my perceived superpower."

"You don't talk about your brother much."

"Well, he's still in England, and we just don't have the relationship we used to."

"Does he know about me?"

"Yes. He's known about you and my true feelings for you long before we were dating. It was a great conversation topic for us. We email each other once a month, but that's about it. I sent him the pictures from our beach trip. I'm trying to convince him to make a Facebook, but he doesn't seem to be interested. He's sort of technologically impaired." Gillian laughed.

"Well, I would love to meet him someday."

"Well, maybe you will!" Cal got up to move the bedding into the dryer. He wrote some more, and then made their bed. Gillian was starting to fall asleep on the couch, so he carried her upstairs again and laid her down in the nice, clean sheets.

"You were right, this does feel nice. I love you, Cal." She rolled over and fell asleep almost instantly. Cal went back downstairs, and continued writing for a few more hours. He sent the completed chapters to the publisher, and went to bed.

While Emily and Cal were out of commission for two days each, Gillian was out for four. Cal told her it was because of her refusal to do anything to stay healthy, and she argued she was already unhealthy by being sick, why bother to try anything different. He was so happy when she said she would come back to work for two reasons. First, that meant a much happier and less whiney Gillian. Second, it meant that he might be home at a decent time tonight. Whenever one of them was out of work, then the other one had a ton of extra work to do, and it had really been taking a toll on Cal.

Gillian was glad to be back. She had missed the office. Ria came up and hugged her pretty quickly. "So glad to see you back, Lightman's been going nuts."

Gillian laughed. "I'm sure, here and at home."

"Yeah, I heard you are really whiney when you get sick."

Gillian feigned being hurt. "Did he tell you that?"

"Yeah, he told us that you whined and pouted a ton and refused to eat."

"Yeah, it's all true. I have always been terrible when I was sick, ever since I was little. It's good though, I don't get that sick too often."

"Well, it's nice to have you back." Ria left, and Gillian just smiled. Gillian was glad that she had practically forced Cal to hire her, she was a hard worker and she genuinely cared. And she did her job well, which was always a bonus.  
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Emily knocked on their door, quietly. "Dad!" She whispered, "I am about to take off."

"Okay, luv, have fun." Came Cal's groggy response.

"No, Dad, I can't go yet. It's the last first day of school."

"Aw, Em, You've been saying it for years. Aren't you a little old for the first day of school picture?"

Emily was confused, who was this man and what had he done with her father? He never let her leave on the first day without a picture, and they always looked funny. "Dad, it's the last one. We can't just quit now! What would people think?"

Gillian was practically pushing him out of bed. "You brag about these pictures every year Cal, go take your daughter's last first day of school picture."

"Alright, alright, I'm up." He thought it was funny when the two most important people in his life ganged up on him like this. He walked downstairs with Emily, and had her pose by the front door. "Say 'cheese'!" She gave him an annoyed look, a throwback to the middle school years, when she thought this was overkill. She took another one, where she smiled for real. Then she was gone. His little girl, off to her first day of her senior year. He walked into the other room, looking for a specific photo. He grabbed it off the shelf where it was sitting, framed, and stared at it for a long time.

He went back up to bed, and Gillian was sitting up in it, about ready to begin their morning routine. Cal sat down on the bed, looking completely shocked. He still had the picture frame in his hand. "Cal, are you okay?"

He held the frame out to Gillian, and she grabbed it and looked. There was a tiny brown-haired little girl with a pink backpack and a blue denim jumper. Her hair was in two braids, and her smile was huge. "That was her very first first day of school picture. Look at this." He held out his phone. There she was in her school uniform, her hair back in a half-ponytail, but still curly, makeup, and a black backpack. "My little girl is all grown up. Next year, she will be off somewhere, at a college, starting her first day without me."

Gillian was at a loss for words. "How about this, we enjoy her last year here with her, together. And you just watch her grow. So when she starts next year, you can be absolutely sure that she is ready, because you raised her to be great."

Cal smiled. "You think she will be great?"

"I know she will be great! I mean, you guys have a great relationship, so if she has any issues, she is not afraid to come to you. She has two very smart and capable parents, and many people who love and care about her so much. She has a great support system; she will do great things no matter where she goes."

Cal's heart had swollen so much he felt like it was going to pop out of his chest. The relationship between his girlfriend and his daughter was great, that was for sure. But this was the first time Cal really saw how much Gillian loved her. She loved Emily so much, that she could say, without hesitation, that she was destined for greatness. And she knew it, in every fiber of her being. Cal didn't need to read her to see that she was being truthful. Also, when she talked about enjoying Emily's last year, she put herself into the equation, effectively placing herself in the family for the first time ever. He had always considered Gill a member of the family, but he knew she hesitated to mess up the dynamic that Cal already had with Emily. He kissed his Gillian hard. "Alright, luv. Let's do it then. We will enjoy her senior year together." She kissed him back, and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Law and Order: SVU episode I am referring to is season 9 episode 17, Authority. It is one of my all time favorite episodes (I am a psych major) and it wasn't until after that I realized that Monica Raymund was in it. So I decided to make a joke about it!


	12. Chapter 12

Emily loved throwing a party.  His one had been harder for her to convince her dad to throw, though.  But, where else would a teenager find a large venue where she and her friends could have fun on Halloween with parental guidance?  He couldn’t argue with her logic.  So, Emily had set up a Halloween party at the Lightman Group headquarters.  There was bobbing for apples, and a haunted house out in the halls. 

Cal walked into the room feeling kind of silly.  When he failed to come up with his own costume idea, Emily came home with a Sherlock Holmes costume.  He had a top hat and a long coat, and he held a magnifying glass and a pipe in each hand.  Gillian had come up with her plan a while ago, a WNBA player.  Cal thought she looked hilarious, but he knew that was her, and she loved it.  He was actually jealous.  She looked so comfortable and he felt out of place.  Emily was dragging a guy over to her father.  He and Emily were both dressed up like pirates.  The little boy that the younger man was carrying was dressed in green feathers, like a parrot.  It was really cute. 

“Dad, I want you to meet Adam.” Adam held his hand out to shake Cal’s hand. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Sir; Emily has told me so much about you.”

“Nice to meet you too.  I guess I can forgive you for lying to me over the phone.  I have a wonderful girlfriend, and you two to thank for that, I guess.”

“Yeah, Emily called me and told me her plan.  Smart thinking on her part.”

“I guess I’m just wondering.  You guys have been official for what, six months? Why am I just meeting you now?

“Honestly, I was nervous.  From what she told me, the idea of meeting you was Very intimidating.  She’s been trying to make this happen for a while now.”  Cal could see he was telling the truth.  It was very admirable of the young man. 

“And who’s this little parrot?”

“This is my son, Brad.  His Mom will be picking him up in a few hours, we are splitting his time for the holidays between us while he’s young, and we haven’t decided a plan for when he is older.  I just want you to know Sir; my intentions with your daughter are honorable.  I already made a mistake once, and although I love my son with all my heart, I don’t plan on having another.  It’s hard work!” Once again honest, and Cal really liked being called Sir, He really liked this guy. 

“You don’t have to tell me.  Try being the father to a girl.  I know how boys are, how they think, and I don’t like them anywhere near my daughter.”  Adam stiffened a bit at his words, “But everything you have told me is truthful, so I guess you’re okay.  Please, enjoy the party.”

Adam smiled. “I will thank you.” He and Emily walked toward the haunted hallway.  Gillian made her way over to Cal.

“I’ve got some bad news. Somebody spiked the punch.”

“How can you tell?”

“Well, I can taste the alcohol.  Also, have you seen Ria? She’s had a few.” Cal looked over to watch Ria. She was tripping over herself while trying to dance, and she was really loud, louder than usual.

“Great.  I’ll make a new, teen friendly batch, and man the punch table to make sure that no teens drink the adult punch.”

Gillian kissed him quickly. “Okay.  I’ll monitor it for now until you come back with the teen friendly batch.  Cal left the room, and Gillian stood over by the table, so that she could see who was coming. 

Ria stumbled up to her.  “Dr. Foster, I think someone spiked that punch.”

Gillian laughed. “Yes, I know, we are taking care of it.”

“Good, because did you know there is a baby here? We don’t want a drunken baby on our hands, that’s for sure!” Gillian couldn’t contain her laughter.

“You know, you can call me Gill.  You don’t have to always call me Dr. Foster.”

“I don’t know, you’re my boss.  It seems weird.”

“Well, we aren’t working right now, so I’m not your boss.”

 “I guess that makes sense.”  She seemed a little apprehensive.

Gillian changed the subject.  “Who’s that guy you came with? Do I get an introduction?”

“Oh! Yeah, Alex, come here!” She called out to him and he came over.  “This is my boyfriend, Alex Duncan.  Alex, this is my boss, Dr. Foster.  I mean, Gill.”

Alex held out his hand to Gillian.  “It’s nice to finally meet you!  Ria talks about you a lot, she really admires you and Dr. Lightman.”

Gillian beamed.  “Well, she is pretty incredible herself.  How did you guys meet?”

Ria took over.  “I met him at this bar after that case with the missing baby that the brother took.  They were playing Spanish music, and he was trying to dance, but couldn’t and I had a few in me, and decided to teach him.”

“It was a lot of fun, so I gave her my number, and we started meeting there.  And then outside of there.  It’s been really nice so far!”

Gillian had an idea.  “Maybe Cal and I could meet you at that bar some night.  I would love to go dancing, and Cal is smoother on his feet than you would think!”

“That would be fun, I would love to see Lightman dance!  I’m not sure if I believe you about him being smooth.” The group laughed.  Cal came back with another bowl of punch and labeled them. 

“Dr. Lightman, We are all going dancing on Friday night.  Care to join?” Gillian grabbed his hand, a silent gesture to let him know that she was going and had already said yes. 

“Sure, I guess.  Sounds fun.”  Ria and Alex left the table and went back to dancing.  The Time Warp was playing, and it was funny to see Ria try to dance it drunk. 

The party wore down around 11.  The teenagers all started leaving to be home for curfew, and the adults were exhausted from a long week at work.  Emily gave her Dad a huge hug.  “Thanks for letting me do this.”

“Anytime, luv.” Cal kissed the top of her head.  He watched her leave with Adam, who was driving her home to her mother’s. 

Cal and Gill cleaned up most of the mess.  They took down decorations, got rid of the punch, and most of the food.  “Why don’t we give it a rest for tonight, and finish cleaning tomorrow.  I’m knackered.” He grabbed her hand, and they left. 

On Friday night, they met Ria and Alex at the bar.  Gillian gave Ria a hug, and told her “I know you felt weird before, but here, you seriously need to call me Gill, and not Dr. Foster.”

Ria laughed. “Deal.” She looked over at Cal. “But I’m going to stick with Lightman for you.”

“Good idea.”  He found them being there a little strange, and he sure as hell didn’t want Ria calling him Cal.  That could seriously mess with their dynamic.  “And I’ll stick with Torres.”

“Fair enough. I’ll buy the first round.” 

When the drinks got to the table, she downed hers quickly.  “Long day?” Gillian asked. 

“It’s Eva.  She just drives me nuts! She’s doing much better, she’s living in a group home now, she’s trying to find a job.  Well, today, she calls me, and says ‘You’re rich, right?’ and proceeded to ask me if I would by her a several hundred dollar computer.  When I asked her what for, she said she wanted to be a freelance journalist.  Which is great, and I will support her and all, but she can do writing on computers at the library.  I would rather her earn the computer, and I told her that.  She flipped, and I hung up on her. Now, I don’t know if she is still coming for dinner tomorrow night.”  She took a swig of her second drink. “Siblings, right?”

“It gets better when they’re older.  Nick used to be awful. Now we are best friends.  I watch his kids once a month and we talk every other day.  Sure, we still fight, but it’s better.”

“It’s nice with distance.” Cal stated. “My brother and I communicate through email.  I can say my whole part, he can say his.  No interruptions and very few arguments.  It’s nice.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother.  Older or younger?” Ria was curious.

“Younger by three years.  His name is George, he has two little boys, and he works for the British government.”

“Cool.  You guys are lucky, I don’t have any siblings.” Alex spoke up.

“I don’t know if that makes us lucky.  My brother drove me nuts when I was younger.  He was awful to me and I know I was awful to him.  I used to wish I was an only child all the time.”

“But you had someone to lean on.  Through all the hard times, or to celebrate with.  I never did, it was just me.”  They all thought.  Ria definitely protected her sister, and she knew that Eva appreciated that.  They were closely bonded because of the abuse they had each suffered, and helped each other through that.  Cal wouldn’t have been able to get over his mother’s suicide without support from his brother.  And Nick and Gillian helped each other when their dad was drinking.  Eva had been there when Ria graduated high school, George came all the way from England when Emily was born, and Nick had thrown Gillian a huge party when she got her PhD.

“I guess you’re right.  I’m glad I had someone to be there for me like that.”  Gillian was the first to speak up.  They drank their next round of drinks, and headed out to the dance floor.  Ria’s lessons with Alex had paid off, they tore up the dance floor.  And Ria was surprised to see Cal, who was a much better dancer than she imagined, keeping up! They danced for a while, until a slow song came on.  Cal reached out, and pulled Gillian into a warm embrace.  Their body’s close, they swayed to the music.  It was as if there was no other person on the dance floor. 

When the music picked up, Ria was staring at them.  “You guys really love each other.”

“What did you expect?” Gillian asked.

“Well, I could always read the raw, sexual tension between you guys, but this is more than that.”

Cal laughed.  “Well, there’s plenty of that too.”

Ria looked away fast. “That’s more than I needed to know!”

They enjoyed the rest of the night together, and said goodbye, promising to make this a weekly thing.  In the car, Gillian laughed at Cal. “You had fun! Don’t deny it!  You had so much fun, and you thought it would be weird!”

“Well, I mean, she is our subordinate.  Hell, only you called her ‘Ria’, and her calling you ‘Gill’ was strange.”

“But if we do it more, it won’t be strange. It’s good for us to go out with other couples, and you enjoyed yourself.”

“Yeah, I did.” Cal conceded. And honestly, he was looking forward to the next time.


	13. Chapter 13

Cal squeezed Gillian’s hand.  “Are you alright, luv?”

She looked at leaned over and hugged him. “Just a little nervous, that’s all.” She pulled away, and started playing with her hair.  She was wearing an orange dress, and interesting color choice, but she pulled it off.  It was short sleeved and form fitting, with a deep V-neck.  Her hair was down and curled.

“Well, we can sit out here until you’re not anymore.  Emily will make Zoe hold the meal for us.”

Gillian knew he was serious, but also knew she would have to face Zoe eventually.  “Cal, we are sitting in our car outside of their house, we have to go in eventually.”  She grabbed his hand, and he squeezed it reassuringly.

“Let them wait.” He replied, with a devilish grin.

Emily sat in her mother’s house, looking at the window, and waiting impatiently.  Her Dad and Gill had been parked outside for a whole five minutes.  What were they doing out there? Actually, she didn’t want to know what they were doing out there.  She heard the timer go off, and saw her Mom remove the turkey from the oven.  It smelled so good! Thanksgiving was one of her all-time favorite holidays because of the food.  It was also an awkward holiday because she had to spend it with both her parents together, and that didn’t always go so well.  She hoped this year would be better because her Dad had Gillian and her Mom had Tony.  Maybe they would stay off each other’s cases.

She finally saw the doors open on her Dad’s car.  Cal got out, and opened the passenger side door for Gillian, who was holding a cake.  It looked chocolate! Emily opened the door.  “Hi guys! Come on in!” She waited for them at the door.  “Dad, can I take your coat?”

“Sure, here.” He handed her his suit jacket and walked with Gillian into the kitchen.  Zoe took the cake from Gillian’s hand, placed it on the designated desert table, and gave them both an awkward hug. 

“How was the drive over?”

“It was fine, there was no traffic.” Gillian tried her best to make small talk. 

“That’s good! Your brother doesn’t mind you skipping this year?”

Gillian was a little hurt.  She knew that Zoe wasn’t a fan, and most likely didn’t want Gillian there, but she was a part of Emily’s life, and didn’t want to just skip out on her.  “Actually, this year, they are meeting with Nancy’s family, so I was off the hook.”  She didn’t mention that she and Alec had an open invitation to join Nancy’s family each year, and that this year it was extended to Cal.

“Do I hear other voices down there?” An unfamiliar male voice called from upstairs.

“Yes, Cal and Gillian are here.” Zoe replied.

“Finally! I thought they’d never make it.” He came lumbering into the kitchen.  He was a very tall man, at least six feet tall, and he was built thick and broad, like a concrete wall.  He had curly brown hair and striking green eyes.  He stuck a hand out to Cal in greeting.  “The names Tony.  How are you doing?”

“Alright, I guess.” 

Tony held out a hand to Gillian, and she shook it apprehensively.  “It’s nice to meet you, Tony.  I’m Gillian.”

“Alright if I call you Gill?”

That was hard.  That was a name usually reserved for people who she was close to, only a few got to use it, such as Cal, Nick and his family, her parents, Emily, and more recently, Ria, who had become quite used to calling her that.  But how often was she going to be seeing Tony? She figured she could get over it for just one night, for the sake of making everyone else comfortable.  “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

Cal looked at her, shocked, and Gillian flashed him a look that said they would talk later.  Everyone gathered at the table to eat.  It was nice, with food stuffed in their mouths, they didn’t need an excuse to talk.  Everything was delicious, the stuffing especially.  When most of the food had been devoured, Zoe and Emily started to clear the main courses to make room for desert.  Gillian got up to help.  “No, Gillian, please sit down, you are a guest.” Zoe dismissed her.

“Thank you, but I was taught that as a guest, I should help out the host however I can.  Use me and abuse me!” 

Emily laughed, “Watch out, Mom takes things literally!” Now both of them were laughing, and Zoe looked annoyed. 

“How about, you and Emily clear the table, and I will bring out the deserts?”  
Emily spoke up first, before her mother could protest. “Works for me!” She immediately went back to the dining room and started clearing as many dishes as she could carry.  Gillian grabbed two of the five deserts and brought them out to the table.  They all passed each other in a flurry of motion, and before they knew it, there were five deserts on the table and clean plates for everyone. 

Gillian waited with bated breath for the permission to dig in.  After all, desert was her favorite course at thanksgiving!  “So, let’s just briefly go over what everything is.  We have an apple pie, pecan pie, strawberry cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and, I’m sorry Gillian, what is this?” Zoe was curious.  It was a round cake with chocolate frosting and she could see the white chocolate shavings on top. 

“It’s a triple chocolate cake with a hint of raspberry.”  Gillian answered, and Zoe looked intrigued. 

Emily got excited. “Oh! Is it that cake you make for your brother every year that he loves?” Gillian nodded. “I’ve been waiting to try that cake! He won’t shut up about it!”

Gillian laughed. “It’s my absolute favorite recipe!”  Emily immediately cut into the chocolate cake.  Gillian took that as her cue, and dove into the apple pie.  She took a slice of everything except for the pumpkin pie, and put them on her plate.  Everyone else had done a similar thing, Cal avoiding the pecan pie like the plague, and Tony avoiding the chocolate cake.

“No offence, Gill, I’m just not a chocolate fan.”

“It’s true,” Emily piped up, “He doesn’t even like brownies!”

“Oh! How do you survive in a world without chocolate?” Gillian teased.  The entire table laughed. 

Emily moaned while trying her first bite of the cake.  “Gill, this is delicious.  I see why Nick won’t shut up about it!”

Zoe also moaned while eating the chocolate cake.  “This really is delicious! Any chance I could get the recipe?”

Gillian grinned, glad her cake was a hit.  “Of course! I will give it to Emily to give to you.  I don’t have it with me today.  The pies are delicious by the way.  Thank you!”

“Oh, I can’t take credit for those, those are store bought.  I did make the cheesecake though.”

“It’s just as good as I remembered it.” Cal said.  The desert talk really lightened the mood, and they all conversed freely and at ease.  Emily felt like it was the best Thanksgiving yet.  She was almost upset when it ended.  Gillian left with her empty cake pan while Zoe and Cal sorted out Christmas arrangements.

“Gill’s family does a big party on Christmas eve, and I know they would love it if Emily could come.  I would have her back to you by ten the next morning, so you can go to your mother’s.  If that is okay.”

Zoe conceded. “It’s not like I have any plans Christmas eve anyway, so yeah, that works out perfectly.  See you then. Drive safe.” She hugged him awkwardly. 

Cal turned to Emily. “See you soon, luv.” They hugged, and he kissed the top of her head.

He joined Gillian in the car. “Quick question, luv.  Why did you let him call you Gill?”

“I figured it was just one night, and I probably wouldn’t see him again.  Even if I do, it will be very limited interaction.  And it made him and Emily more comfortable.  For a while, that looked like it would be a tense situation all around.”

“Yeah, sorry about that passive aggressive comment, luv.  I know she just doesn’t think.”  He was referring to the beginning of the visit, when Zoe implied Gillian should be with her own family, and not Zoe’s

He wanted to lighten the mood.  He started to tease her, much like she had teased him after that first double date with Ria and Alex.  “You enjoyed yourself.  You thought it would be awkward, but you had a good time.”

“She laughed, recognizing her own words.  “Yes, I did.  Have I mentioned that you have a strange family dynamic?”

“A few times, yeah.  Have I mentioned that I love you?”

“A few times, yeah.” Gillian echoed.  


 


	14. Chapter 14

When they opened the door to Nick's house, they were bombarded with little girls.  They were each trying to talk over one another. Emily could make out her name, Gillian, Grandma, Nana, tree, cake, and Santa. She laughed as she was dragged away by Sarah and Sadie toward the kitchen to look at all the cake. 

Gillian hung hers and Cal's jackets in the closet. She was wearing a black velvet long-sleeved dress with a V-neck and a thin satin ribbon sash. She held his hand and walked with him toward the living room, where most of the guests were seated. She smiled and introduced Cal to all of Nancy's family members. Other than Sadie and Sarah, there were about three other kids there under the age of 8, as well as Nancy's parents and two siblings, Allison and Charlie.  Cal waved politely. "It's really nice to meet you all. My daughter, Emily is around here somewhere. The girls dragged her away." 

Allison laughed, "Seems about right."

Gillian was startled by a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see her mother, whom she hadn't seen in months. "Hi, Mom, I wasn't sure you'd be here."

"Yeah, Nick called and talked some sense into me. I've been neglecting you guys too much, and it is important that I spend the holidays with you." 

Gillian smiled warmly, and gave her mother a hug. "Oh! I know I've told you about him, but I know we weren't together the last time I really talked to you. Mom, this is Cal Lightman."  
Cal reached out to shake her hand, and she pulled him in for a hug. "It's nice to finally meet you, Cal. I'm Michelle." 

"It's nice to meet you too." 

"I've heard so much about you over the years!"

"I know, Gill really can't shut up about me." That earned Cal a soft smack to his chest from Gillian. "It's alright I guess, I really can't shut up about her either. She is truly a remarkable person." 

"We already knew that. I am very proud of my Gillybean." Michelle stroked Gillian's hair.

"That's a cute name, luv, how come you never mentioned it before?" Cal had a sly grin on his face.

"It just never came up!" Nick came around the corner and announced that dinner was ready. Everyone filed into the kitchen one by one to get a little of everything. Gillian stocked up on extra ham and green bean casserole, they were her favorites, other than dessert, of course.  Everyone sat in various places around the house to eat. The kids primarily all sat at the table, Nancy and Charlie there to watch over them. Everyone else sat in the living room near the tree. Cal and Gillian sat on the couch with Michelle, with Emily at Cal's feet.  

"Emily, tell me about yourself." Michelle inquired.

"Well, I'm a senior in high school this year, looking at a career in journalism." 

"She should be going into matchmaking, if you ask me. She's the reason that Gill and I are together." Emily was beaming with pride as her Dad patted her head.

"Sounds interesting. Do you want to write articles for a newspaper or something else?"

"Newspapers would be interesting. I like to write thought provoking things. Like about what Dad and Gill do.  Articles like that, that get people talking or at least interested in looking into the science."

"Not too much on us though or we may get run out of business by the new up and comers" Cal laughed. 

"Well, Dr. Lightman, how did you get into it? Did you read an article about your science?"

Gillian stiffened and shot her mother a look that could kill. Very few people knew that story and it was not something to tell around Christmas dinner.

Cal had to tread lightly. "I started noticing some things on my mother's face, tics and muscle contractions. It was a theory, and I ran with it.  When I discovered a lot of it to be true, I studied it more, wrote it all down, and started implementing it."

"Interesting. I don't know how you do it, but I find it fascinating."

"Thank you."  
When everyone was done eating, Gillian and Nick gathered all the plates and headed to the kitchen to clean up a bit. Gillian was the first to break the silence. "How did you get Mom here?" 

"I told her the truth. When I called to invite her, she said she was just going to spend Christmas with Thomas' family. I told he that was unfair. I said that my kids didn't have a relationship with her, and that it wasn't fair to us, especially you, since she skipped out on your birthday. I think I made her feel really guilty, but it worked, she's here. That's all that matters in my mind."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Besides, it's time she met Cal!" They laughed.

Meanwhile, Michelle was in the other room, asking Cal about his future plans. "So, how long have you two been official?"

"It'll be a year in February."

"And what do you plan on doing after that?"

“Honestly, I don't know. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with Gillian, but I'm not sure she's ready for that yet. But when I'm sure she is I have an awesome plan, no intervention from my adolescent daughter this time!" Emily laughed. 

"What about kids. Do you want them?"

"Honestly, we haven't talked about that." He hated bringing up kids. He felt like a jerk sometimes because he had Emily, and Gillian didn't have anyone. He was also afraid to open any wounds when it came to Sophie.  "I'm open to it if that's what she wants.  I think Gill would be a great mom.”

“Did you know that she had a little girl?”

“Yes, I did.” Cal confirmed.  Emily looked up at her dad, confused.  She hadn’t heard any of this, she didn’t know about Sophie.  “She actually called me the day they took her back.  She wanted to explain why she wouldn’t be at work, I remember telling her to take all the time she needed.  I also joined her a few nights later with a bottle of wine, and a tub of chocolate ice cream.  Anything I could find to comfort her.”

            “It sounds to me like you loved her back then.” Allison spoke up. 

“Of course I did.  But she was married, so she was off limits.  And even after they divorced, I gave her space, because I never thought she would even look at me.”

“And look at you two now!  I really don’t know how you do it.  If I were to spend all day every day with Tom, I would go nuts! You two see each other at work and at home, and it just seems like you don’t get a break.”

“Actually, at work, we see each other a lot, but we have a lot of time to do our own things.  We often work separate cases, or spend a lot of time in our own offices.  We may only see each other at work for a few hours each day, the rest of the day we are on our own.”

“I guess that works well.”  At this moment, Sarah and Sadie, along with the other 3 children came rushing in.  They were squealing with delight! The ones old enough to read started handing out presents while Nick and Nancy helped.  The younger two (who looked to be about three and four) sat near their parents and waited to be handed their gifts.  “So, who belongs to who?’ Cal asked, gesturing toward the kids. 

“Well, you know who Sarah and Sadie belong to, Jenelle is my oldest, “Charlie pointed to the other girl who was helping to hand out gifts, “And this little man is Max, and he is my youngest. My wife is with her family tonight and couldn’t make it.” He pointed at the other little boy.  “Louis there is Allison’s” 

Cal’s train of thought was interrupted by a box plopped down in his lap by Sadie.  Emily had a few boxes, much to her surprise.  And there were three items that were addressed to both Cal and Gillian.  Sarah scooted up to Emily and held up a box.  “We picked this out for you, open it now!”  When Emily took it, Sarah began jumping up and down.  Emily found a pair of pajamas inside that had snowflakes all over them.  They were made out of a thick fleece material.  “Thanks, guys! I wasn’t expecting anything!”

“Well, in our family, everyone gets a pair of Christmas pajamas.  You weren’t leaving here without any!” Gillian reached over and hugged the girl tightly.  They all opened their gifts.  Cal had gotten a few pairs of flannel pajama pants, and some t-shirts that he was sure Gillian would wear more than he would.  Gillian got a pair like Emily’s, except hers had snowmen on them.  Cal and Gillian together got matching bathrobes, a gift certificate to the spa, and a box of movie snacks.  Emily got an American Eagle gift card, and a few shirts that she loved, and were just her size.  The all sat around and talked for a bit, until Louis and Max started to fall asleep.  Sarah and Sadie had already changed into their new Christmas pajamas.  So they called it a night.  Gillian made the rounds, saying goodbye, and Merry Christmas, and Cal followed.  Emily gave everyone sincere thank yous and hugs, and they left for home. 

“Gill, your family is so nice.  They didn’t need to get me anything.”

“Honey, you’re part of the family, so you will get treated like part of the family.”  Two arms reached around from the back seat to hug Gillian in the passenger seat.  “Thank you!” Emily whispered. 

When they got home, Gillian made an announcement.  “Okay, so we all need to change into our new Christmas pajamas, and we are watching a movie.”

“What movie?”  Emily inquired.

“Whatever movie you want.  But it needs to be Christmas related.”

“Okay luv.  You go change, I just want to talk to Em for a sec.”  Gillian looked puzzled, but obliged.  She went upstairs and left them alone.  Cal turned to Emily.  “I noticed you were confused earlier, and I didn’t want to leave you in the dark.  About Gill’s little girl.”

Emily’s face showed understanding.  “Yeah, I was confused.  But I figured it was just something that hadn’t come up.”

“A few years ago, Gill and Alec had adopted a baby girl, named Sophie.  But the birth mother had sixty days to change her mind, so on day fifty seven, she decided that she had made a huge mistake, and took Sophie back.  That’s what Michelle was referring to today.”

“That’s such a crappy thing to do! I would have been pissed.”

“Yeah, Gill had a tough time with it.”

“Well, thanks for filling me in.  I’m going to go change.” She went upstairs towards her room, and Cal heard the door shut.  He also went upstairs, and into his own bedroom.  Gillian was sitting on the bed, waiting for him. 

“Did you have fun?” She asked.

“I did, luv, thank you for inviting me.”

She laughed, “Any time, Cal.  Did my mother drive you nuts?”

“Not really.  Only when she started asking me about what I was planning with you.  I guess no matter how old your child gets, you never grow out of that, wouldn’t you say, Gillybean?”

“Oh God, not that again!” She rolled her eyes, “That’s what my parents used to call me, because of my name and my sweet tooth.  I used to hate it!”

Cal laughed.  The pajama pants fit him perfectly.  “Hey, I really want to thank you and your family for making Emily feel so included.”

“You are part of my family now, Cal, and so is she.  Don’t forget it!”

“I won’t.  I’m just wondering how everyone seemed to know Emily’s size.”

Gillian blushed. “I may have done some snooping while I was doing laundry.”

Cal pulled her to her feet, embraced her, and kissed her hard on the lips.  “Thank you again.” They left the room together, walking toward the living room.  Emily started cracking up when they got there.  “Dad! You have to take a picture of Gillian and I in our matching pajamas!”  It was true, they were very similar pajamas, and Cal pulled out his phone.  They posed together nicely, and then did crazy faces.  Both of those would be up on Facebook shortly.  Emily had picked out Rudolf for them to watch.  Cal popped it in, and snuggled on the couch between his two favorite people in the world.

It was after midnight when the movie ended.  “Merry Christmas ladies!” Cal chuckled. 

“Merry Christmas!” Gillian replied. “Em, you have to go to bed, or else Santa won’t come!”

Emily laughed at Gillian.  “Okay, I’ll get right on that.  Goodnight Dad.  Goodnight Gill.”  She hugged them both and climbed upstairs.  Cal pulled out the last few presents he had hidden, and put them under the tree.  He and Gillian went up the stairs together and collapsed into bed.  Cal hugged her close to him, and they drifted off together. 

Emily woke them up early the next morning as if she was six again, jumping on the bed and jarring them awake.  “Santa came! Come on Dad, Santa came! Gill, don’t you want to see what Santa brought you?” Gillian groaned, and rolled over.  She laughed at the teen jumping on their bed.

“I think your father needs some more encouragement.” Gillian and Emily grinned at each other.  Suddenly, they were both up and shaking the bed.  “Cal, Santa came!” yelled Gillian, smacking him with a pillow.

“Dad, come one, get up! It’s Christmas!” They jumped around some more while Cal pretended to sleep.  He was really getting a kick out of this.  When he popped one eye open, they cheered, and gave each other a high five. 

“Alright!” He grumbled. “I’m up! Let’s go.”  He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs faster than Gillian had ever seen him move.  Emily and Gillian rushed down after him.  Cal had grabbed his stocking off the wall and was already rifling through it.  Emily did the same.  Gillian started arranging the gifts into piles, and then grabbed her own stocking.  It was the typical stuff, a toothbrush, shaving needs, some candy and smaller trinkets.  The next thing she knew, Emily was opening her gifts one by one.  When she opened the heavier one, her mouth hung in awe.  “Dad, seriously? Thank you so much!” She jumped up and hugged him.  It was the typewriter that she had made him write his book on so that he wouldn’t be distracted. 

“I figured every journalist needs their own typewriter.  So I’m handing this one down to you.  Take care of it, Em.”

“I will!”  She returned to opening her presents.  Gillian and Cal also started opening theirs.  Gillian had gotten Cal a bunch of new outfits, and a new picture frame for his office with their beach picture in it.  It was one of Gillian’s favorite pictures of the two of them.  Cal had gotten Gillian a gold heart necklace with diamonds in it.  He had also gotten her a few new dresses, and a kindle. 

Emily had gotten a new pair of fuzzy slippers and a few outfits from Gillian, as well as a lot of the things she would need at college.  When she opened the last gift, she shrieked.  “An iPad? Oh my gosh, guys, thank you!” She hugged them both. 

“It was all Gillian’s idea, don’t thank me, thank her.”

Emily hugged Gillian.  “I figured it would be nice, portable enough to take with you, snap pictures if you need them, and it’s extremely user friendly when it comes to typing and rearranging articles.”

“Sounds like you did your research.”

“I did!”

Cal got up and made breakfast while the two women talked.  He made scrambled eggs and sausage links with toast.  He also heated up some cinnamon buns and made hot chocolate.  He called them into the kitchen to eat.  When they had finished, it was time for Emily to make her way to her mom’s house.  She hugged them both again.  “Thank you guys so much for everything.”

When she had left, Gillian hugged Cal from behind. “So is this what Christmas is like at your house every year?”

“Not usually.  Usually it’s a bit quieter, but I like it better when it’s crazy.”

“I liked it.” Gillian stated. “Before, Christmas was boring.  I mean, I would always go to Nick’s every Christmas eve, but Christmas day was boring.  Alec would sleep all day, we never actually exchanged gifts, and it was like any other day.  I like this way better.”

Cal turned around and caught her in a tight embrace. “Well here’s to 40 more, just like this one!”

Gillian smiled and took his face in her hands.  “Merry Christmas, Cal”

“Merry Christmas, luv.”


	15. Chapter 15

Trying to plan Emily’s 18th birthday party had been really hard on Zoe.  She didn’t like to think that her baby had grown up, but here was the evidence right in front of her, and she couldn’t ignore it anymore.  Also, she was working really close with Cal, and that meant working with Gillian.  And that was not fun.  Gillian had all sorts of ideas, had already thought of so many things.  It wasn’t her daughter that was graduating, why did she even care. 

“Oh, and Nick and Nancy would love to come, as would Michelle.”  She and Cal were going over the guest list.  “So that makes five more on my side, I guess.  George would love to come, but can’t make the flight.”

“Wait.” Zoe stopped him. “Who are Nick, Nancy and Michelle?”

“Gill’s family. Her brother and sister in law, their kids, and her mother.”

“I don’t know if that is such a great idea.  I mean, how long have they even known Emily?”

“Long enough! And you invited all of Tony’s family.  Why can’t Gill’s family come?”

Zoe stopped and took a breath.  “Okay.  You’re right.  It’s not fair of me to say that.  Tony’s family barely knows her, I’m sure Gillian’s family knows her a little more.”  Zoe had to calm herself.  She was being petty and she knew it.  Both she and Cal had moved on, he was finally happy.  And that fact alone is what killed her.  He was happier with Gill than he had ever been with her.  They couldn’t even sit in a room together to plan a party for their daughter without glaring at each other.  She had really burned her bridges in this relationship, and it was important that they stay civil for the sake of their daughter.  “I booked a hall and a DJ.  The DJ will give us a discount, he is an old friend of Tony.”

“Sounds okay to me.  I can be in charge of invitations as long as you get me addresses.”

“That sounds great.” She got up to leave. “Cal.  I never apologized for how I acted when I found out about you and Gillian.  I’m sorry I told you it was doomed, and that it would never work.  I can see now that she makes you happier than I ever could.  I wish you guys the best.” She left his office before he could thank her for her apology. 

Cal opened his computer.  He opened up the corrections that the editor had sent him and started working on them.  He was glad to have this almost out of his way, so he could move on to better things. 

About an hour later, Gillian waltzed in.  She was wearing a rose colored, long sleeved blouse and light brown pants.  She had on nude colored heels, and her hair was pulled back.  She wore the necklace that Cal had gotten her for Christmas, just like she did every day.  “Are you about ready to go? It’s date night with Ria, remember? I have to go home and change.”

Cal shut his laptop and stood up.  They had taken to carpooling, it was cheaper now that they shared expenses, and easier since they shared a commute.  “Alright.  But I have to finish fixing this chapter tonight.  Don’t let me forget.” He put the laptop in its case, slung the case over his shoulder, and grabbed her arm.  They headed toward the door. 

Cal opened the passenger side door for Gillian, and walked around to the driver’s side.  They drove toward the house in a comfortable silence, Gillian’s hand rested on his knee.  Cal broke the silence after a few minutes.  “Oh yeah.  Zoe gave me the shock of a lifetime today.  She apologized for whatever it was that she said all that time ago.  You know, when she said our relationship was doomed and all that? Yeah, no provocation or anything, she just apologized.”

Gillian was surprised. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.  I didn’t get the chance, she left before I could.  I wanted to thank her.”

Gillian was quiet.  Things had always been strained with Zoe.  She was never easy to handle.  They settled back into their comfortable silence, hand in hand, all the way home. 

When they got home, Gillian ran upstairs, and changed into her favorite dress.  It was bright red and tight.  It showed off her legs perfectly, and hugged her curves beautifully.  The open back meant she would be cold in this January air, but once inside the bar, it wouldn’t be a problem.  She usually reserved dresses like this for date nights, especially when dancing would be involved.  She slipped on a pair of black pumps, and made sure that her necklace from Cal was straight and you couldn’t see the clasp.  Then she grabbed a thin black sweater and headed out the door. 

When she got back in the car, Cal could see that she was wearing his favorite dress.  She looked stunning in it, because he knew she felt confident in it, plus the color looked radiant on her.  “Let’s roll!” She tapped his knee with her hand when she spoke, showing her eagerness to get out on that dance floor.  They had both come to look forward to these nights that they hung out with Ria.  As Cal drove, Gillian sent out a quick text to let the younger woman know that they were on their way. 

When they got to the bar, Ria and Alex already had a table, and the first round.  Ria got up, and gave Gillian a hug. “Hey, Gill! You look hot!”

Gillian laughed.  “You don’t look too bad yourself!”  Ria was wearing black skinny jeans, and a loose fitting black shirt, with the right amount of long, silver jewelry.  Her hair was long, down to the middle of her back, and loosely curled. 

Ria gave Cal a hug. “Nice to see you, Lightman.”

“You too Torres.”  He shook Alex’s hand.  “Nice to see you, Alex.”

“Nice to see you too, Dr. Lightman.  What’s new with you guys?”

“Well, we are planning Em’s 18th birthday party.  You guys will definitely be invited, as will most of the office.  She has known most everyone there for most of her life.”

“How are you doing with that?” Ria asked.

“Alright.  I’m not used to the idea of my child as an adult yet.”  Everyone was silent, no one understood quite what he was going through.  Gillian rubbed his back in a way that was supposed to be comforting, and he leaned right into it.  He downed the first drink.  “Let’s dance, I want to have fun tonight.”

Gillian laughed as he pulled her to the dance floor.  They had become used to the Latin music that always played at this bar.  It was easier to dance to, and so much fun! Ria and Alex joined, and soon they were all laughing, and having a good time.  Cal and Gillian loved dancing to the faster songs, and had improved remarkably since Ria had given them a few lessons.  But it was during the slow songs that they really shined.  They melted into each other, and it was like they were made for each other.  They only had eyes for each other.  After the first slow song of the night, Ria and Gillian went to the bar to buy the second round.  “I wish Alex looked at me the way Lightman looks at you when we slow danced.”

“I think you guys look cute when you slow dance! Don’t let Cal intimidate you!”

“See, but Alex and I, we are into each other.  But when you and Cal slow dance, it’s like you guys are the only two people in the world.  You are just so into each other.”

“Alex is into you, don’t let us intimidate you.  It will only make you doubt your relationship.” Gillian touched her shoulder reassuringly.  They grabbed the second round and brought it to the table, and Cal and Alex joined them there. 

“So, what is it that you ladies talk about that is so interesting when you are at the bar?” Cal asked. 

“You and Gill, and how when you slow dance together it’s the most beautiful thing.”

“What do you mean? We’re just dancing!”

“Yeah, but you two are really into each other, and you just look so content.” Alex explained.

“You see, maybe if you two spent more time paying attention to each other and less time looking at us, you wouldn’t be so jealous!” Gillian teased, and everyone laughed.  They drank their drinks and headed back out to the dance floor, immediately having fun again.  Gillian enjoyed dancing, it made her feel like a teenager at the prom again, except this time, her date was much better!  When another slow song came on, they grabbed each other, and embraced again.  Cal melted into the curves of Gillian’s body, and they swayed gently to the music.  Their eyes met, and they both smiled, they were happy. When the song was over, Ria pulled Gillian aside. She held up her phone.

“Look.  This is what I mean.  You guys are like the perfect embodiment of love, and you don’t even know it.”  Gillian looked at the pictures, and saw some of the most raw expressions of love that she had ever seen.  She loved these pictures, almost as much as the one Emily had snapped of them kissing at the beach. 

“Do Cal and I always look like that when we are together?”

“For the most part, yes.”

“Do you mind if I send these to myself?” Gillian asked the younger woman.

“Go ahead.”  She replied. 

Gillian started typing her number in, and choosing her favorites.  “You know, instead of snapping pictures of us, you should focus on your boyfriend.”

“Well, now that you can see what I have been talking about, maybe I will!” They laughed.  Both women headed back to the dance floor to be with their dates.  Gillian grabbed Cal, and whispered in his ear.  “After the next slow song, we can leave.  I’m exhausted tonight.”

“Whatever you want, luv.” Came his reply.  They danced for about another hour and a half before another slow song played.  Cal grabbed Gillian, and she felt his warm arms envelop her.  They kissed and gazed at each other again, swaying to the music. 

“Hold on.” Gillian whispered, and broke eye contact.  She looked around, and found Ria and Alex.  They were dancing too, and they looked really sweet.  For once, Ria was focused on her date, and not on Cal and Gillian.  Gillian pulled out her phone, snapped a quick picture for later, and went back to Cal, who looked a little confused, but went with it. 

After the song was over, they said their goodbyes.  Gillian hugged both Ria and Alex, and they headed for the door.  And ever chivalrous Cal opened the door for Gillian before scurrying around to the driver’s side.  He turned on the radio, and drove, while Gillian texted the picture she had snapped to Ria so she would have it later. 

Cal smiled and started singing along with the song that was playing.

 _Tuxedo waiters, black ties_ __  
White tablecloths and red wine  
We've been plannin' this night  
Lookin' forward to it for sometime

It was funny to Gillian.  Cal, who had grown up in England, loved American country music.  She wasn’t a fan, she tolerated it, but it wasn’t her first choice.  She would rather listen to pop songs. Cal continued to serenade her. 

 _Now honey, I know you love gettin' dressed up_ __  
And you know I love showin' you off  
Watchin' your baby blue eyes, dancin' in the candlelight glow  
All I can think about is gettin' you home

Gillian loved this, she loved being serenaded.  And, yes, Cal’s voice wasn’t low enough to sing in Chris Young’s octave, but he was surprisingly good.  It was something that she had discovered around the holidays for the first time, when they did some Christmas caroling.  He could do harmonies pretty well by himself.  Gillian couldn’t even whistle on key, but she enjoyed it!

 _Walkin' through the front door_ __  
Seein' your black dress hit the floor  
Honey, there sure ain't nothing like you lovin' me all night long  
And all I can think about is gettin' you home

Of course, Cal changed the word black to red in that chorus, and Gillian smiled.  She grabbed his hand, and he sang along with the rest of the song, making her giggle for the entire ride home.  When they pulled up to their house, Cal got out, and ran around the car to open the door for Gillian.  “After you” He let her walk up to the door first.  She opened the front door, and walked through, and Cal followed.  When he turned around after locking the door, he was shocked to see Gillian in front of him, slipping off her hot, red dress, and letting it slide down her body onto the floor.  His mouth hung open in awe, and she turned to him, wearing nothing except a pair of black lace panties.  “I’m headed upstairs.  Are you coming?” With that she turned around and left, and Cal followed her upstairs, closing their bedroom door behind him. 

 

The dining hall that Zoe had picked was the perfect size for everyone at Emily’s birthday party.  Emily had really only invited a few close friends, so it was mostly a family party.  Gillian was just glad that this time, she didn’t need to guard a punch bowl.  She sat with her side of the family, laughing and talking, and watched as Cal and Emily danced with Sarah and Sadie.  Cal had picked up Sadie, and was dipping her upside down.  She was laughing, and having a good time.  Adam was dancing close by Emily and Sarah, watching his son bounce the way toddlers do when they dance.  Zoe had actually been civil the entire time, and made an effort to introduce herself to Gillian’s family. 

Michelle spoke up. “Look at him with that little one, Gillybean.  He looks like he is having the time of his life.”

“I’m sure he is, Mom.  Cal is great with kids.  I mean, look at Emily, she turned out great!” 

“Yes.  She is a sweet girl.  I’m glad she took the initiative to set you two up.  You know, I’ve never seen you happier.”

“Even when I was with Alec?” Her mother had always praised Alec, and talked about what a great match they were.  Gillian didn’t know if she could trust her mother’s judgment. 

“You were happy with Alec at first, don’t get me wrong.  It just wasn’t quite the same.  I can see that now.  You have found something that many of us don’t always find.  Make sure you keep him close to you.” 

At that moment, a slow song came on. Gillian watched as Zoe and Tony took to the dance floor.  Emily also grabbed Adam, while Brad stood awkwardly near Sarah, unsure of what to do, but not wanting to cry.  Gillian stood up and looked at her mother.  “I’m going to see if I can pull Sadie away from my boyfriend.” 

Michelle laughed at her.  “Good luck with that!” 

Gillian was lucky.  Nick had heard this conversation, and had grabbed all of the children, enticing them with cake.  Gillian laughed as little Brad toddled over to her brother, looking for some sugary frosting to get all over his face.  Out of nowhere, Cal’s arms were around Gillian, fitting perfectly into the curves of her body.  She didn’t notice anyone anymore, she didn’t know where anyone else was on the dance floor.  She didn’t even know if anyone else had joined in, as there were plenty of other couples there.  She just knew that Cal was there, and that he was wrapped around her, and that was all that mattered. 

“Alright, we had some beautiful couples out there.  Now it’s time for the daughters to shine, so daughters, find your fathers, and don’t lose them!”  Emily tapped Gillian on the shoulder.

“Can I butt in?” She asked, with an amused expression.

“Of course you can!” Gillian relinquished Cal, and he grabbed Emily’s hand, placing one hand on her waist.  Gillian sat back down with her mother, and watched the father daughter dance.  Nick had both of his girls, and they were dancing in a very funny circle.  Zoe and her sister were doing a similar thing with their father, and Gillian smiled.  Gillian almost wished that she could dance with her father, but she knew that he would have ruined an event like this.  She had pretty much cut him out of her life.  She knew that Nick kept him updated on all of their stories, but she made a point not to talk to him.  She shook off any thoughts about her father as she watched Cal and Emily dance.  Her heart began to swell at the sight, and for honestly the first time in their relationship, she felt a longing.  She wanted to watch Cal do this one day with their daughter.  She wanted the opportunity to raise a child with him that would grow up to be just like Emily.  But she knew it was too late.  As soon as she realized that, her heart fell.  Emily was eighteen, why would Cal want to start over?  So she resolved to settle for watching from afar, and pretending.  Maybe one day, it wouldn’t hurt so much. 


	16. Chapter 16

Gillian sauntered into the living room where Cal had been waiting.  She had changed out of her work outfit, and into clothes for their anniversary date.  Cal had planned it, and he was being secretive.  “Dress comfortably” was all that he had told her.  So she had dressed down slightly.  She was wearing a loosely fitting blouse, and her most comfortable pair of black pants.  She had on flats, and left her hair down and straight.  Cal looked up from his computer and shook his head.  “Luv, you look stunning, but I need you to dress comfortably.”

“I am comfortable.” She argued, rolling her eyes.  “This would be easier if you told me what you had planned.”

He grinned.  “Not going to happen, luv.  What do you wear around the office when you work late?”  She sighed.  Back upstairs she went, to change again.  She searched around in her drawers for a pair of yoga pants.  She found a pair of darker grey yoga pants and put them on.  She had to get rid of this blouse, she felt oddly out of place.  She found a long sleeved loosely fitting purple shirt, which she put on.  Now, she was sure that when he mentioned her office clothing stash, he didn’t mean that she wanted her to put on fuzzy slippers, so she found an old pair of Keds.  She usually reserved them for cleaning or running errands, and hadn’t worn them in a while.  She adjusted the necklace that she always wore, and headed downstairs again.  This time, when he looked up, he nodded in approval. 

“Much better!  Let me just finish editing this chapter, and we’ll go.”  He was almost done with his book.  If he continued at this rate, it would be printed before Gillian’s birthday in May!  She stayed patient, and waited for twenty minutes while he muttered to himself.  Finally, he shut the laptop, and stood up.  “Alright luv, ready to go?”

She smiled. “Yes! I’m curious to see what you have come up with.” He held out his arm, and she grabbed it.  They walked, arms linked to the passenger side of the car, where Cal opened the door for Gillian.  She laughed.  “I’m glad to see that a year later, you are still the same chivalrous guy that you were when we first started dating!” She flashed back to that first date, when Cal got the door for her and walked her to her front door, where they had their first real kiss.  She had teased him about it that night, she thought he was trying to impress her.  Soon she had realized that it was just part of his personality, and she had grown accustomed to it. 

Cal turned on the radio and drove.  They held hands, sitting in a comfortable silence.  Gillian wasn’t paying attention to the music, she was watching where they were going, trying to anticipate the date before it happened.  When he pulled into Emily’s school, she was puzzled. 

Cal parked the car, and got out of the car, running around to the passenger side to get Gillian.  When she got out, she looked around.  There weren’t other cars in the parking lot, so it couldn’t be a surprise anything.  She was thoroughly stumped.  Cal took her hand, and led her toward a building that was set apart from the rest.  It looked like a gymnasium.  Cal walked up to the door, and fished out a set of keys.  “The principal and I go way back.” He explained. “I used to do some work for him before we started the Lightman Group, it’s what got me interested in consulting for larger places.  When I told him my dilemma for my date night idea, he told me that I could have the keys, and use this place.”  Gillian shivered in the cold February air, while she listened to him explain, and waited for him to open the door.  He finally found the right key, opened the door, and beckoned Gillian inside.

When she stepped in, it was dark.  When the lights came on suddenly, she saw a basketball court, with a single basketball waiting in the center.  She smiled.  Cal was beside her suddenly.  “Fancy a game of one on one?”

She smiled, and ran toward the ball.  She scooped it up, dribbled, and threw it at the basket.  She missed. “I like to watch, Cal.  I never said I was any good!”

Cal also threw the ball at the basket and missed.  “I’m no good either, luv.  I’m too short to be taken seriously!”

She laughed.  They passed the ball back and forth a few times.  “The first one to five wins.” She stated.

“What are the stakes?” he asked.

“What do you want them to be?” She inquired, grinning slyly.

“If I win, then we get to shag.” He answered bluntly, but was had that foolish grin from ear to ear.

“Okay.  What if I win?”

“We still get to shag.” They laughed.

“Deal.” She agreed.  She had the ball and started dribbling toward the basket.  She lined up to take her shot, and Cal grabbed her from behind, lifting her off her feet.  “No fair!” she cried out, laughing.  Cal stole the ball from her arms, and ran toward the basket, shooting and scoring. 

“Point one for me!” He called out.

“Travelling.  I’ll concede to the point, but you need to dribble the ball!”  She didn’t care about the points, either way the outcome was the same. 

“Fine.”  He fake pouted, looking disappointed, and threw the ball back at her.

The game continued like this for a while.  It was the most unorthodox game of one on one that Gillian had ever played.  They stopped keeping score after Gillian hit five points and Cal was only at two.  They missed more baskets than they made, but they were having fun.  Finally, they stopped.  Both of them were sweating and panting.  Cal grinned.  “I hope you worked up an appetite, luv.”  He walked over to the bleachers, and pulled out a quilt.  He laid it on the gym floor in the center of the court.  He walked back toward the bleachers, and pulled out a picnic basket.  She grinned. 

“I know how much you love picnics luv, but it’s just too cold to do one in February, and I didn’t want to wait until your birthday in May.  So I thought we’d set one up here!”  She sat down on the blanket, waiting patiently.  He pulled out some sandwiches from her favorite sandwich shop.  “I wanted to bring an orange slushy, but I figured it would probably melt.” She laughed, as he handed he a bottle of water instead.  They sat and ate, teasing each other about different things that had happened over the past year.  When they were done with the sandwiches, Cal pulled out a plate of brownies.  Gillian kissed him.

“You did a great job planning all of this.  Thank you.” She was amazed that every time they kissed, she still felt warm and tingly.  By this point in her relationship with Alec, it just felt routine.  She liked that it always felt new and exciting with Cal. 

They both enjoyed the brownies, and Cal teased her about her love of all things sweet.  “I never knew someone who loved chocolate as much as you do.”

“I’m a girl, Cal, we all love chocolate.”

“Yes, girls like chocolate.  Emily and Zoe ate their fair share.  But sometimes I fear that you love chocolate more than you love me!”  They laughed together.  It was Gillian’s turn to poke fun.

            “Why didn’t you ever show me that you can sing until Christmas? I mean, I love being serenaded!”

“I don’t know, it never came up!”

“I just feel like you were holding out on me all that time!” they laughed some more, and Cal started singing one of his more recent favorites.

“Absolutely nobody knows me better, no one that can make me feel so good! How did we stay so long together, when everybody.  Everybody said we never would. And just when I start to think they’re right, that love has died.”

Now Gillian joined in with him.  “There you go making my heart beat again, heart beat again, heart beat again. There you go making me feel like a kid, won’t you do it and do it one time. There you go pulling me right back in, right back in, right back in and I know, I’m never letting this go. I’m stuck on you, whoa whoa stuck like glue. You and me baby we’re stuck like glue!”  The country music was slowly beginning to grow on Gillian, and this had been one of the songs that he loved to sing to her. 

He stopped singing.  “Did you know that in that video, she is a crazy stalker who kidnaps the guy that she fixated on?”

Gillian laughed.  “No, I didn’t! I’ll have to look it up though, that seems funny.  She laid back on the blanket, and Cal rested on top of her, kissing her tenderly.  She felt like she could stay there with him for hours.  Suddenly, Cal stood up. 

“One more thing, luv.”  He pulled out a remote, and pressed a few buttons.  The wall in front of them lit up, and displayed a projection of the DVD menu for The Illusionist.  Cal pressed a few more buttons, and the sound went up, and the lights went down.  “If I remember correctly, the last time we watched this movie, we didn’t end up watching the movie.”  Gillian’s face heated up with the memory.  “So I thought today, we could watch it for real, on the big screen!”  He pressed play, and snuggled next to her.  She decided to enjoy the movie, they had all night at home for anything more.  With Cal snuggled next to her, they watched, thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company.  When the movie was over, they laid there a bit longer, not wanting to leave.  Gillian was the one to move first, picking up the remnants of their picnic, and trying to roll Cal over so that she could get the blanket. 

She helped him up off the floor, and they embraced, melting into each other perfectly, as always.  “Let’s go home, Cal.” He finished cleaning up after themselves, he didn’t want to leave a mess that anyone would have to clean before school tomorrow.  Lastly, he pulled the DVD out of the player to bring home with them. 

He locked the gym door, and lead Gillian back to the car, opening the door for her.  They drove home quietly, Cal letting Gillian choose the radio station.  He spoke up.  “So, did you enjoy yourself?”

“I did.  It wasn’t what I was expecting, I mean, a picnic in the wintertime! So, next year, I have to plan something better, and you have set a really high bar.”  They laughed together.  When they got home, Cal got out of the car, and hurried around the front of the car to let Gillian out.  They headed inside.  Cal threw out the last of the leftover food bits that were still in the basket, and stashed the basket in the hall closet.  When he got upstairs, Gillian was sitting with her kindle, reading a book.  He sat down in bed next to her, and kissed her cheek. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, luv.”

She put down her kindle, and leapt on top of him, straddling him, and shoving her tongue into his mouth.  She could feel Cal’s arousal.  She pulled her mouth away from his for a moment.  “Don’t tell me you forgot the stakes of our game.  I won, so we get to shag!”  He grinned, as they continued to kiss.  Nope, life couldn’t get any better than it was at this moment.            


	17. Chapter 17

Gillian and Cal walked up to Nick’s front door together, and Cal rang the doorbell.  They laughed, as they heard the scurry of little feet running toward the door.  Soon it was opened, and Sarah and Sadie stood there, jumping around and flapping their arms.  “Auntie Gill and Cal are here!” They announced to whoever was in the house. Cal and Gillian stepped in the house, and hung their jackets on the coatrack while Sadie and Sarah continued to jump around.  Nick was in the room with them shortly.

“Girls, I have a question for you.  Did either of you ask who was at the door before you opened it?”  Both of the girls looked down and away.  Nick didn’t need Cal to tell him what that shame expression meant.  “Okay, we need to work on that.  What if it wasn’t Auntie Gill at the door?  Next time, ask first.”

“Sorry, Daddy.” They said it in unison, voices lowered, and still wouldn’t look Nick in the eye. 

“Sorry, guys.  We are trying to reinforce some stranger-danger lessons.  How are you two doing?”  Sadie and Sarah took this as an opportunity to sneak out of the hallway. 

“We’re doing Well, Nick.  How about you?” Gillian answered.

“Really looking forward to this date night.  Thank you for canceling your plans.”

Cal answered next.  “It’s no big deal, I think Ria and Alex will survive for one Friday night without us.” He and Gillian both laughed. 

“So, what’s the plan?” Gillian asked her brother.

“Well, we are grabbing dinner first and then heading out for a jazz concert.  We shouldn’t be home much later than eleven, but if plans change I’ll let you know.  The girls haven’t eaten yet, but all their homework is done.  I left money out for pizza.  They can stay up until nine just for tonight, and they have picked out a movie for you all to watch.”

“What about dessert?” Cal interjected.  “Sorry, I just like to spoil them.”  Gillian smiled at him, and stifled a laugh. 

“Well, we would be okay with desserts, just try and keep it to a minimum.” Cal nodded in agreement, but Gillian could see that he had something up his sleeve.  At that moment, Nancy came downstairs.  She looks ready to go, her stick-straight dirty blonde hair held up with a giant clear butterfly clip.  She was wearing a black short sleeved dress, and carried a green jacket.   

“Whoa, Nancy, pulling out all the stops for Date night! You look great!” Gillian hugged her sister in law, and Nancy blushed.

“Thanks!”  She turned to Nick. “Are you ready to go, babe?”

“All set whenever you are.” They walked into the living room together, where the girls were watching TV.  “Sadie and Sarah.” Nick spoke with authority, and both girls turned around to look.  “Make sure you listen well to Cal and Auntie Gill.  Do whatever they say, and behave yourselves.  We will see you in the morning.”  The girls both got up from their perches and ran to their father, hugging him goodbye.  Next, they ran to Nancy, who bent down to their level and kissed them both on their foreheads, punctuating each kiss with a firm “Behave.”

“Well, come on then, get out of here.  We will be fine.” Cal spoke up and the girls laughed. 

Nick laughed as well.  “I know.  Thank you guys again.” With that, he grabbed his wife’s hand and walked toward the door.  Cal and Gillian stood by the couch with the girls, waiting.  When they heard the click of the front door close, the girls cheered.  “Home free!” Sarah yelled, and Gillian laughed. 

Sadie went back to her chair, watching something on the Disney Channel, completely enthralled.  Sarah joined, but fidgeted, obviously wanting to do more.  Cal and Gillian took to the couch, texting each other and making a plan. 

 **MAYBE WHEN THE SHOW IS OVER WE CAN GET THE PIZZA?** Cal sent the question to Gillian.  He didn’t usually join her when she watched the twins, so he didn’t know the routine.  Not that he planned on following the routine.  Her answer was quick.

**I CAN ORDER IT NOW IN THE OTHER ROOM SO I DON’T DISRUPT THEM.**

**I HAVE A BETTER IDEA.  LOOK AT SARAH.**   Gillian watched her niece, who was changing position and moving around, and was now watching Sadie intently, as if she wanted to antagonize her.  She needed to get busy, and quick. Gillian answered Cal. **I’M WAITING…**

 **LET’S EAT AT THAT PIZZA SHOP DOWN THE STREET.**   Gillian considered it.  It was a good plan, and might just be the excursion Sarah needed to keep her busy. 

 **SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN.** She sent the message to Cal, and watched him grin with excitement.  When they saw the credits start rolling on the screen, Cal stood up. “Okay, girls, get your jackets and shoes on please!”  The girls snapped their heads around and looked at Cal with puzzled expressions.  They seemed to look to Gillian for clarification. 

In response, Gillian got up, walked into the other room, and grabbed her jacket and Cal’s.  She put her jacket on, and walked back into the other room to give Cal his.  “Come on, what are you two waiting for?” She teased them.  They smiled, jumped up, and ran into the other room.  Gillian could hear the rustling sound of jackets and the familiar sound of Velcro straps being opened on their shoes. 

Before they knew it, the girls were climbing into the backseat of the car with Cal, while Gillian grabbed the money off the table and locked the front door with her spare key.  When Gillian joined them in the car, they were off.  Gillian put on her favorite kid-friendly pop music station, and she and the girls sang along with whatever was playing all the way down to the pizza house. 

Once inside, the girls ran straight to the jukebox.  Cal went to the counter to order the pizza, and Gillian followed her nieces, fishing two quarters out of her purse.  “Listen.  These are the only two quarters I have.  You can each pick one song, so make sure you really like it.”

“Thank you!” They said in unison, and turned back to the machine to make their selections.  Gillian walked over to the table Cal had selected and sat down.  “Great idea, Cal.  I think they are having fun!”  She heard them over at the jukebox, whispering to each other about which songs they liked.  Luckily they weren’t bothering anyone, no one else was there. 

Sadie picked her song first, and she and Sarah had a dance party over in one corner while it played.  Gillian laughed as they took each other’s hands and danced around in a circle, hopping up and down.  Before she knew it, Cal had grabbed her hand, and was pulling her off of the bench to dance with them.  The song was over too quickly, and Sarah hadn’t made her selection yet.  She went over to the jukebox and flipped the pages back and forth, deep in thought.  She inserted her quarter, and picked the numbers carefully.  The same song that Sadie had picked played again.  Gillian was amazed at how much those girls could think alike sometimes. 

Cal laughed, and grabbed Sarah, holding her close to him and dancing in a circle.  He grabbed her hand and held it forward, swaying along with the music.  Gillian took both of Sadie’s hands in hers, and they danced in a circle.  Gillian watched as Cal “dipped” Sarah, holding her upside down.  Sadie released Gillian’s hands and ran to Cal.  “My turn!” She cried, as she held her hands up.  Cal obliged, and dropped a waiting Sarah into Gillian’s arms.  He picked up the other little girl, and did the same thing.  Everyone was laughing and having a great time, and Gillian hoped this would wear the girls out a bit so they would sleep early tonight. 

The music ended again, and Gillian had run out of quarters.  She made a mental note to bring some next time.  Their pizza was ready anyway, so Gillian set the girls up at the table, while Cal grabbed the food.  Before the man at the counter gave Cal the pizza, he told him, “You guys have a beautiful family.” Cal didn’t really know what to say to that, so he just took the compliment as it was.  It was too difficult to explain the dynamic to him. 

The girls must have been hungry.  They ate their pizza faster that both of the adults.  While they waited for Cal and Gillian to finish, they talked all about school, and their new friends, and their teacher.  “Mrs. Shufelt gets us mixed up all the time, and it’s really funny.” Sadie informed them. 

“Well, how does she do that? I mean, it’s easy for your mum and dad, and even for Gill here, because they have known you since birth, and really know your differences.  But it was really easy for me to pick up on too, and I met you girls when you were eight.”  In truth, the girls looked nearly identical in the face, except for the fact that Sadie had one larger freckle on the right side of her nose that Sarah didn’t have.  But on the flip side, Cal could read expressions, and body movement, and Sarah’s body movements and mannerisms were a bit jerkier than Sadie’s were.  In general, that had a lot to do with the fact that Sarah was usually more hyper and active than Sadie was. “You girls are as different as night and day.”  They beamed at this statement. 

When they were all done eating, they piled in the car again.  Cal had a sly grin on his face.  “Alright girls, I want to take you somewhere special.  My treat.  But it’s also a secret, and you can’t tell mum or dad, understand?”

“Okay!” They emitted high pitched squeals of delight from the back seat, and Gillian laughed.  They turned on the radio and sang again as Cal drove to the secret location.  When they pulled up in front of the ice cream store, the girls really got excited.  “Thank you, Cal!” Sarah had already unbuckled her seat belt and was climbing out of the car.  Gillian met her at the doorway of the shop, equally as excited as the girls were.

Inside Cal got a table, and watched as all three females peered into the case, picking out their ice cream flavors, and whispering to each other about their favorites.  He laughed out loud at the sight, pulled out his phone, and snapped a picture.  Of course, they were going to tell Nick and Nancy about the excursion, and he really wanted to show them this picture.  He sent it to Gillian first, knowing she would appreciate it whenever she finally saw it. 

Cal sat for a moment reminiscing.  He used to bring Emily here all the time when she was younger.  They would sit at the little two seater in the corner, and she always got the cookies and cream in a waffle cone.  Cal was also habitual, and would get vanilla in a dish with rainbow sprinkles.  It had been their ritual on Saturday nights.  He got up and walked over to Gillian, who was still peering into the case.  “I don’t know why you are thinking so hard, luv, we both know you are going to just get chocolate.”

She turned around and smacked his chest.  “You don’t know that for sure.”

He knelt down to address the girls.  “Are you girls ready to order?”

“Yes.” They nodded.

“Well don’t nod at me, tell the poor bloke!” He pointed at the teenager behind the counter, and the girls laughed. 

“Can I get a small cookie dough in a cone please?” Sarah asked.

“Of course.  And for you?” He gestured toward Sadie.

“I would like the cake batter in a small dish please, with chocolate sprinkles.”

“Not a problem.  And for you ma’am?”

“A medium chocolate in a waffle cone, with hot fudge if possible, please.” Cal rolled his eyes at Gillian’s order.  He should have predicted it. 

“Not a problem ma’am.  And last but not least, for you sir?”

“A medium vanilla in a dish with rainbow sprinkles, please.”  The teen rang them up, and got straight to work making their ice cream orders.  He handed each order to the individual person, and told them to have a great day.  They sat down at the table to eat.  Cal was the first person to break the silence.  “Now you tell Mrs. Shufelt that if the icecream boy who just met you can tell you apart, she should be able to too.” The whole table laughed, and the girls told some really funny mix up stories.

“Why do you call Auntie Gill luv?” Sadie’s question came out of nowhere.

“Well, I usually call people luv that I really care about.  So I use it with my daughter, Emily sometimes, I call our friend Ria luv sometimes when I know she is upset, and I use it a lot with Gill.”

“Do you love Auntie Gill?” Sarah asked.

“Yes I do, with all my heart.” He grabbed Gillian’s hand as he said this and squeezed it, hard. 

“Are you going to marry her?” Sarah asked.

“Maybe, someday.  I guess it just depends on if Gill wants to marry me.”

“Auntie Gill, do you want to marry Cal?” Sadie asked, and Gillian’s face turned bright red. 

Cal was the one who saved her.  “Oy! I’m supposed to ask her that question! Why are you doing it for me?”  The girls laughed, and soon dropped the subject. 

It was seven at night by the time that they piled back into the car to head home. 

Gillian told them the plan in the car.  “When we get you girls home, you need to change into your pajamas, and brush your teeth.  That way, we can watch the movie that you picked out, and you can just head upstairs to bed right afterward.  Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes.” They answered in unison.  And that’s exactly what they did.  They zoomed upstairs quickly, and Gillian could hear the opening of drawers and running water.  She hung up her jacket and took off her shoes, and made her way into the living room to set up the movie that the girls had picked out.  They would watch The Little Mermaid, which was one of their favorites.  Cal came in and watched her set up.  “Oh, Emily loved the little mermaid growing up, Ariel is her favorite princess.”

Gillian smiled.  “When this movie came out, I was a teenager.  I was really a fan of Sleeping Beauty myself.” 

“I never cared about Disney princesses.  I liked Peter Pan myself.  I liked that he was crazy and free.”

“That’s a shame.  I had you pegged for a Cinderella fan!” She teased, and he laughed.

Sadie was the first one downstairs.  She sat in Cal’s lap and snuggled close.  Gillian sat on the smaller couch, and waited for Sarah, who came down a few moments later.  Sarah sat on the couch next to Gillian, laid down, and rested her head in Gillian’s lap.  Gillian pressed play, and started stroking the girl’s hair.  While the girls watched, Gillian observed Cal, snuggling close to Sadie and hugging her tight.  In her mind’s eye, she replaced Sadie with a small girl in a blue jumper with braids in her long hair, just like that picture Cal had shown her of Emily on her very first day of school.  She smiled, in spite of herself.

By the time Prince Eric was driving his ship into Ursula the Se Witch, the girls were fast asleep.  Gillian watched Cal move slowly with Sadie, as he began to carry the sleeping girl upstairs.  Gillian did a similar thing with Sarah, except Sarah wasn’t already in her lap.  She roused the girl enough to get her to wrap her arms around Gillian’s Neck, and she carried her upstairs.

Cal had tucked Sadie into the wrong bed, but there was nothing they could do about it now.  He had never watched them before, so he didn’t know which bed belonged to who.  Gillian placed Sarah into Sadie’s bed, tucked in the covers, and kissed her sleeping head.  She and Cal tiptoed downstairs together. 

Gillian pulled out her phone and forwarded the picture Cal had sent her to Nick. **THEY ARE JUST LIKE THEIR AUNTIE!!** She then snuggled into Cal on the couch.  “Thank you for coming with me today, and I’m sorry we had to cancel our plans with Ria.”

“It’s alright luv.  Besides, we did still get to go dancing!”  She laughed and they kissed.  They stayed on the couch like that until Nick and Nancy came home. 


	18. Chapter 18

The drive home was not at all like their night with the girls.  It was quiet and peaceful, and comfortable, without all the awkward questions.  “Oh, did I tell you that I finished my book?  It should be published by the end of April.”

“No, you didn’t.  That’s great!”

“I just need to send in a dedication.”

“That’s great, Cal! I’m so glad you finished that!”  She had read bits and pieces of it, and she knew it was mostly about his limitations when it came to reading people close to him.  She knew that the cover would feature a picture of herself and Emily, and she was really excited to read the whole thing.  “So, do I get a special copy or something? Since you talked about me enough.” She teased. 

“Don’t worry, both you and Em will get your own copies.” He answered.  They laughed, and she held his hand the rest of the way home. 

It was around midnight when they finally walked through their front door.  Thankfully, tomorrow was one of their days off, so they didn’t have to go into the office.  Saturdays were usually when they did a lot of work from home, like finishing up paperwork and payroll.  Sundays were their real days off.  But it meant that they could sleep in. 

Gillian led the way upstairs, and Cal followed.  She changed into pajamas quickly, a pair of fuzzy pajama pants and one of Cal’s t-shirts.  It smelled like Cal, almost earthy, and it made her feel safe and warm.  She didn’t care if she had tons of her own pajamas, this was what made her most comfortable.  Cal had put on a pair of plaid pajama pants and was shirtless.  They laid down together, and snuggled close, her back against his chest, and his arms wrapped around her.

“Do you know what the guy at the pizza house told me today?” Cal asked abruptly.

She turned in his arms so that she could look at his face.  “No.  What did he say?”

“He said we had a beautiful family.” 

Gillian stiffened in his arms.  “Well, technically, the girls are family.”  It was a clear deflection, she didn’t want to talk about this. 

“Gill, you know I haven’t wanted to push you into anything.  But, are we going to have our own family?”  He felt like a jerk, here he was doing the one thing that he didn’t want to do.  He didn’t want to force Gillian into having this conversation.  “I want you to know right away that it is entirely up to you.  If you don’t want to try, that’s okay.  But if you do, I want you to know that nothing would make me happier than raising a family with you.”

A small tear fell from Gillian’s eye.  “It’s just that, you already raised your daughter.  I always thought it would be selfish of me to ask for you to start all over again.  I thought I would be happy with just you and Emily.  And I was honestly okay with the idea of not having children, Cal.”  He watched her face.  As far as he could see, she was sincere about that.  “But then I watched you dance with her at her party, and I see you interact with my nieces, and all I want is to have that with you.” 

He grinned. “So, you want to try?”  She cried a little harder, and Cal got worried.  “Luv, what did I do, what did I say? Please talk to me.”

She regained her composure.  “Cal, I have polycystic ovary syndrome.  It’s really hard for me to get pregnant.  I don’t respond to fertility drugs.  Alec and I tried for two years before we adopted Sophie.”  He hugged her closer, while she cried, over Sophie and over the kids she would never have.  He rubbed her back while she cried into his shoulder.  When she pulled away to look back into his eyes, he knew that he could continue. 

“What about IVF, or something like that?” He asked her carefully, trying not to push her into anything that she would be uncomfortable with. 

“I don’t want to do IVF.  It seems like a lot of money and a lot of discomfort, and the results aren’t perfect.  I have a lot of respect for women who go through that time after time, but I’m just not up for the emotional toll it takes.” Her face contorted as she held back more tears.  “Please don’t be upset with me.”

“I’m not.  It was just an idea, I’m not trying to pressure you into something you don’t want to do.”  He caressed her face, and placed a kiss on her forehead.  “Listen, I’m up for whatever you want to do. I don’t want you to feel bad for speaking your mind.”

She nodded.  “Can we just drop this for now?”

“Of course, luv.  Whatever you want.”  She turned around again, and settled into him.  His arms wrapped around her helped her to feel secure.  She still wanted to cry.  She hadn’t ever wanted to bring this up.  This was one conversation that could reduce her to tears in a matter of seconds, and she hated people seeing her so vulnerable. 

Cal listened to Gillian’s breath steady.  Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to push an issue that he knew could upset her?  They were great together now, just the two of them.  He meant that when he told her that it was okay if she didn’t want to try.  Every day was a new adventure, a second chance at love, and he didn’t want to lose her.  He didn’t want to make her feel insecure.  He wanted her to be happy with their life, and he had always known that she wanted kids.  He didn’t want to hold her back from her dream of being a mother. 

Her voice was quiet and sudden, piercing through the darkness and heaviness that was in the room.  “What about fostering?” she spoke to the wall, not wanting to leave his embrace.

“Well, that could work.  But there’s no guarantee we would be able to keep the child.  Sometimes they aren’t a great fit, and sometimes they get reunited with their actual parents.  It would be like lodging them, and that might be hard on you.”

She was quiet again, thinking before she spoke.  “Not always.  Alec and I had looked into it.  I would rather take in children who need some love and help, than try to have one of my own.  I want to help children who feel like they have nowhere else in the world to go.  If they had to leave me, I would just hope that I had done whatever possible to give them a better life.”

“If that’s what you want to do, luv, we can look into it.” He kissed her hair, and felt her relax.  She was asleep within minutes.  When she finally relaxed, so did Cal, and he drifted off as well. 

 

Gillian greeted person after person that she had never met before, but all of them knew her face.  They were at a release party for Cal’s book, _Blind Spots_.  On the cover was a picture of her and Emily in their matching Christmas pajamas.  Why Cal chose that particular picture, Gillian didn’t know, but she liked it all the same.  She opened up the copy of the book in front of her and read the dedication again. _To my two favorite women in the world.  First, to Emily, who taught me how to love unconditionally.  Second, to my Gillian, who reinforces the lessons Emily has taught me, and who has given me a second chance at life.  I love you both._   It brought tears to her eyes every time she read it.  She looked over at Cal, who was signing numerous copies.  He wanted to skip this party so badly, but she assured him, it was good for business, so he needed to go and to network.  She was doing a similar thing, trying to talk to as many different people as she could, and handing out business cards along the way. 

A woman in a red dress came up to Gillian, and put her hand in the small of her back.  “So tell me, is being married to the lie guy intimidating?”

“Well, we aren’t married, and no, not really.  Cal and I have a total honesty policy, since he can still read me sometimes, and I can’t read him.”

“Why haven’t you married him yet? He’s a catch, handsome, successful, sexy accent and all.  Better hurry, or I will snatch him!”

Gillian laughed, this woman was older than her mother.  She handed the woman Cal’s card.  “Why don’t you call him sometime and tell him to ask me already!  That’s all I’m waiting for.”  The older woman took the card and slipped it into her black clutch purse.  “Or, call us if you need any consulting done, we can do that too!”

“Maybe I will dear.  Cute picture on the cover, by the way!” With that, the old lady was off.  Gillian pulled out her phone and texted Cal.  She knew he wasn’t reading these now, but he would be amused when he got them.  **SO THAT’S THE 8 TH PERSON I’VE TLKED TO TONITE THAT THINKS WE’RE MARRIED.**  She shook her head, and walked over to where Ria and Loker were standing.  She greeted them both with a hug. 

“I’m going to take a break from the networking for a few.” She announced.

“Why? You are the most people friendly of us all.  Go make some friends!” Loker teased. 

“I’m sick of explaining to people that Cal and I aren’t married, and then having them tell me what a catch he is.  I know he’s a catch, I’ve been dating him for over a year now.”  She crossed her arms, and leaned against the wall.  She watched him and Ria exchange a glance that looked suspicious, but she couldn’t read faces and couldn’t tell why.  “Don’t tell me that the office has another pool going about how long our relationship will last!”

“Not exactly.” Loker looked away, and Ria smacked him. 

“Well, then what exactly?” Gillian was curious. 

“We kind of have a pool as to exactly when Cal will propose.” Ria answered, and grimaced, afraid that her newest friend would be angry at her.  Gillian asked something unexpected.  “So, can I get in on this? What dates are taken already?”

Loker spoke up first.  “Well, I have today, Ria’s chosen the Fourth of July…”

“How romantic would that be, to propose during the fireworks?” Ria interrupted.  Gillian smiled at the thought. 

“Emily has your birthday…” Loker continued but was interrupted again.

“Wait, Emily is in on this?  You know she can sway her father.”  Gillian informed them.

“Yes, we know, that’s why she has promised not to interfere about what date he chose.  And we detect lies for a living, so when I ask her if she influenced this or not, I will know for sure.” Loker explained.  Gillian nodded, indicating that she understood.  Suddenly, a younger woman came over to them, and wrapped her arm around Loker’s waist.  She had platinum blonde, stick straight hair that fell just below her shoulders.  She was wearing a lavender pleated dress with black high heels.  Loker looked a little flustered, but managed to introduce them all.  “This is my girlfriend, Caroline.  Carrie, this is Ria Torres, and Dr. Gillian Foster.” She shook each of their hands as he introduced them all. 

“You guys can call me Carrie, everyone else does.  It’s nice to meet you both, I have heard a lot about you both!”  She appeared genuinely excited to meet Loker’s co-workers. 

“So then you obviously know what we do for a living, but what do you do?”  Gillian asked, trying to start the conversation. 

“I teach high school English.  Actually, Emily used to be in my journalism class.  She was a great writer, and an excellent student.”

“Did you know that that’s what Emily wants to pursue? She wants a degree in journalism.” Carrie beamed with this information.

“I hadn’t heard that! That’s great, she’ll be really good at it!”

“Hey, so maybe you two could join us at the bar sometime!” Ria spoke up, and Gillian laughed.  “It will be like a weird Lightman party with two extra people!”

“I don’t know if I want to hang out with a ton of people who can read my thoughts.”

“Not your thoughts, just your face.” The voice was unmistakable, especially with that British accent.  Cal had snuck up behind Loker and Carrie, and had been listening.  “Besides, we don’t read Alex.  We go dance and have a good time.  You should join us! That way, I don’t need to buy as many rounds.”  They all laughed.  He walked up to Gillian and pecked her on the lips.  “I got your messages, luv.  You’ve been having fun tonight!” 

She laughed.  “Not so much, but I guess it could have been worse.  What’s up?”

“Well, the party is starting to die down, and they told me I was free to go.  I was wondering if you were ready to go home.”

Gillian nodded.  “Yes, dear, I’m ready to go.”

They said their goodbyes to the people they knew, and to the event coordinators.  They found their car easily, thanks to the VIP parking spot, and began the drive home.  Gillian’s voice broke the silence first.  “I’ve been thinking a lot and my heart is set on becoming a foster parent.  I’ve been talking to Erin, and she thinks we would be a great fit.”

“Okay, luv.  What do we have to do?”

“There are home visits, and classes, and an application.  I can get you more specific information later.”

He nodded in agreement.  “Okay.  So this is how we start our family.  I honestly can’t wait, luv.”  He had pulled into their driveway, and stopped the car.  He leaned over to her, put his hand on her face, and kissed her tenderly.  She pulled away abruptly.  “Why did you choose that particular picture of us to put on the cover?”

“Because, that was the first time I felt like we were a family.  Like it had been that way from the start.”

“That’s crazy!” He laughed at her exclamation.  “I felt like we were a family at the beach.  It finally felt like I belonged somewhere, and that I wasn’t just butting in on yours and Emily’s lives.”

“See, I don’t count that because we weren’t living together yet.  That was when I asked you to live with me, very awkwardly.”  They both laughed at the memory.  “The next big question I ask you needs to be well planned.  None of this awkward bullocks.”

“Well hurry up with this planning, I don’t know if I can wait much longer.” She teased him, then kissed him.  “Come on, let’s go to bed.”  He got out of the car, and opened her door for her.  They made their way to the bedroom quickly, and were soon snuggled together as usual.  Cal smiled as he felt Gillian relax completely, falling into a deep sleep.  He had been planning, and something great was coming.  She didn’t have the slightest clue.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Gillian loved Sundays. Sundays meant no work, and she could sleep in. But this Sunday was the best. Today was Gillian's birthday. She could already smell the scrambled eggs by her bed, covered so they would stay warm. There was a glass of orange juice, and a vase of flowers. She felt spoiled already!

She got up and opened the window, letting the nice spring air in. It was fairly warm that morning for early May, best type of day for birthday festivities. She went back to bed, and ate the breakfast that Cal had slaved over. It was delicious, as usual. She relaxed a bit longer before deciding to start her day.

Gillian showered and allowed her hair to air dry, causing it to curl loosely and naturally at her shoulders. She put on the sundress the Cal had bought her at the beach, it was her favorite day off outfit. She headed downstairs. It seemed really quiet. "Cal" she called out, and heard no response. She walked through the living room, dining room, and the kitchen. He was nowhere to be found. "Well this is great. He's abandoned me." She said out loud. She saw copy of his book on the table. Blind spots. It had a picture of her and Emily on the cover, in their matching Christmas pajamas. She opened the cover to read the dedication that she already had memorized. In place of the dedication, there was a cream-colored 4 x 6 piece of card stock with Cal's handwriting on it. _Good morning, my love, and happy birthday! I left something for you in the first place we met. Can you go find it?_ Gillian smiled. So this was the game he wanted to play? She would bite. There's just one problem. They met at her office at the Pentagon. This would be fun but it wouldn't necessarily be easy.

Gillian parked at the Pentagon city mall. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number she hadn't dialed in a long time. A male voice picked up almost immediately.

"This is Dr. Bayers speaking. How can I help you?"

"Donovan? This is Dr. Gillian Foster calling."

"Gill! It's been too long, how are you?"

"I'm good. Listen, is there any chance we could meet today?"

"Sure. How long until you can get to me?"

"I'm actually already parked at the mall, so I can be there in a matter of minutes."

"Okay, great. I'll meet you where the visitors check in." Gillian heard the click, and knew he had hung up. Donovan had never been someone to talk on the phone. Gillian got out of the car and walked up towards the Pentagon.

Donovan Bayers had been her supervisor while she worked at the Pentagon. When she told him about her plan to partner with Cal he had given his blessing. He told her she needed to follow her heart, and if her heart told her to follow this science, she should go. They remained friends over the years, sharing stories and consulting on cases. She knew she could always count on him.

He greeted her outside the check in area with a hug. "How have you been?" He asked.

"Happy!" She replied, honestly. As he flashed his badge (he had escort privileges) she filled him in on everything she had been up to, including her relationship with Cal.

"So when I told you to follow your heart, you really listened." He teased.

"Yes I did. That's kind of why I'm here. Today's my birthday, and I woke up this morning to this." She showed him the note, and he smiled. "The Pentagon is where I first met him, in my old office."

"Well, someone else has your office now, but I think I can help." He pulled a cream-colored card out of the pocket on his shirt. "Cal contacted me on Facebook a few days ago and gave this to me this morning." He handed it to her. "I hope you have fun on your birthday scavenger hunt, Gill."

"Thank you, Donovan!" She hugged him tightly, and he walked her out of the building. As she walked back to her car, she read the next clue. _I know you love catching up with old friends! Like Erin! I bet she knows where to look next!_ Oh, he was having fun!

Gillian texted Erin to let her know she was on her way. She didn't want to surprise her and wake up Felix if he was napping.  She drove quickly to her friend’s house, eager to see her next clue.  When Gillian pulled up in the driveway, Kiley ran through the door, crashing into Gillian's legs. Erin followed, carrying Felix with her. "Hey buddy! How are you?" Gillian cooed. He smiled, and acted shy, hiding his head in his mother's shoulder.

"Oh come on, you know Gill!" Erin giggled, tickling the infant. She then hugged Gillian with her free arm. "Happy birthday!  I was going to tell you on facebook, but I thought it would be better to say in person."

"Wow, Cal's been planning this for a while!"

"Yep! I won't keep you long, I don't know how much more there is for you to do! Kiley, give the card to Gill!" Kiley proudly presented the card to Gillian, who hugged and thanked her. Erin hugged her again "Good luck!” To Kiley she said "Come on, in the house, its lunchtime!"

Gillian read her next clue. _You will find the next hint in your hiding place for comfy clothes._ Gillian hopped in her car and headed for the Lightman Group. 

The next clue was easy. Resting on the top of the fuzzy slippers Emily got her was the next card. _Sarah and Sadie want to share a secret with you._  Gillian smiled. She never needed an excuse to see her nieces!

The eight-year-olds rushed out of the house as soon as soon as they saw her, card weaving in hand. Sadie gave it to her. "Cal said this is for you. What does it say?"

Gillian hugged and thanked them before reading the card out loud. "The next clue can be found where we spend most Friday nights."

"What do you do on Friday nights?" Sarah asked 

"Cal and I meet some friends, and we go dancing!"

"I bet Cal is a bad dancer!" Sadie said

"Actually, he is really good!  Remember dancing with him at the pizza house?"  The girls laughed, remembering him dipping them and spinning them around. Gillian kissed them both.  "I have to hurry, guys! My next clue is waiting!" They laughed and hugged her before running to the swing set. They waved as she drove away.

When she walked into the bar, she had no clue where to look.  They didn’t have a specific booth or anything like that, they usually just grabbed whatever was available.  The bartender noticed the confused expression on her face, and beckoned her over. 

“Aren’t you usually here on Friday nights? You and the British guy?”

“Yes.” Gillian answered.  “Did he leave something here for me?”

The bartender disappeared for a minute, and returned with a cream colored card in his hand.  Gillian thanked him profusely, and left.  She read the card on the way out. _Remember the Christmas party, and your birthday party? The next clue is there._   So, back to the Lightman Group she went.

When she walked up to that area, she really had to look. It wasn't with a person, there was no one in today for it to be with.  She looked on tables and in drawers.  When she finally spotted it, she felt triumphant.  With the sunlight shining through the window, the paper taped to it almost blended in.   _Now, you will find the next card with my other favorite girl in the world._  Emily. Of course Emily was in on this. Gillian pulled out her phone and texted the girl. **WHERE R U**? 

The response was quick. **@ MCDONALDS WITH ADAM AND BRAD. THE 1 NEAR THE SCHOOL.**

So Gillian went to McDonald's. They were easy to spot, sitting right by the window. Emily waived. Adam was feeding the 18-month-old bits of chicken and fries. Gillian sat down next to Emily. "Having fun?" The young woman asked.

"Loads!" Gillian answered honestly, "But your dad had better reimburse me for gas!" They both laughed

"I think he will. Just enjoy yourself!" She pushed the cream colored card towards Gillian. "Here you go!" Gillian picked it up and read it on the spot. _Remember our anniversary? That's real find your next clue._ "Well at least that one is close!" Gillian hugged Emily and left. As soon as she had, Emily sent out a massive group text. **SHES ALMST DONE, GET INTO POSITION!** She then got up.

"Sorry, Adam, I have to go."

"That's okay, babe. Have fun." They kissed goodbye, and she was on her way.

It was going to be sunset soon, which meant Gillian had to find the note quick. She walked over to the gymnasium and checked all the doors as she walked counterclockwise around the entire building. It had to be on the outside of the gym, it was Sunday, and no one would be here. Of course, it was on the last possible door she would check, taped to the blue, metal door.  _Now remember that place, when we first ask each other those awkward questions? That's where you will find the last clue_.  Finally it was almost ending. She walked back to her car and drove to Panera.

When she got there, she first walked over to the booth where she had seen Cal sitting by himself. She remembered feeling so awkward and out of place with him at first. But that was before she knew his true feelings. There was no one in the booth, but no notes either. She looked everywhere. She finally went up to the counter. "Excuse me." The woman at the counter looked at her. "Did a British man leave any notes here that look like this?" She held up one of the clues, and the woman smiled.

"Are you Gillian?"

"Yes. Sorry to bother you. Can I have it please?" The woman left and returned with it quickly.

"Here you go! Enjoy your night!" She smiled at Gillian.

"You too." Gillian replied. She read her clue.  _Remember the mine collapse that I investigated, and you got drunk on my expensive scotch? You will find me where I found you._ Back to the Lightman Group. He seriously owed her for gas.

It was getting darker as the sun was setting. She made her way to the balcony, where Cal was waiting. She was surprised to see that other people are waiting too. Her family including her mother, Erin and her kids, Emily, and all the Lightman Group employees. They all stood behind Cal, who was waiting for her with open arms. He embraced her. "Happy birthday, luv."

"Thank you, Cal! I had fun today!"

"Good. Listen Gill, there's something I have to say." She swallowed. "No luv, nothing bad, nothing to worry about."  He watched her shoulders relax. He looked her in the eye. "I have loved you for years, Gill. Seriously! But why a stunning woman like you would ever fall for me is far beyond my understanding. I love how you make me try new things. I love slow dancing with you, and serenading you. I love that being with you makes me try harder to make you happy, making me a better partner. I love that you love my daughter with all your heart. And I want to keep loving everything you do." He got down on one knee, and pulled out of velvet box. Gillian began to cry. "Gillian luv, will you marry me?"

She sobbed. "Yes!" He leapt up and kissed her, and everyone cheered. He put the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly. There was one large diamond. The golden band wrapped around the diamond, one edge starting on the bottom, wrapping around her finger, and ending at the top of the diamond. Simple, yet elegant. She was sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't think she could be any happier than she was at that moment.


	20. Chapter 20

Later that night, she sat on their bed admiring the new piece of jewelry around her finger.  She was in one of Cal’s t-shirts and her underwear, waiting for him to return from refilling her gas tank.  He had laughed when she requested it, but did so without a complaint.  She heard her phone buzzing on the table next to her and grabbed it.  It was from Emily. **WERE U SURPRISED?**   She laughed to herself. **YES. IF I REMEMBER RIGHT, YOU WIN THE POOL!**

The response was quick. **YOU KNEW ABOUT THE POOL?**

**YES, RIA AND ELI FILLED ME IN ABOUT A MONTH AGO.**

**LOL WELL ITS NOT A LOT OF MONEY BUT IT’S A NICE EARLY GRADUATION PRESENT FOR ME!**   Gillian laughed out loud at the teen.  Graduation was coming in about a month, which meant a party and prom, and then she would be gone, across the country to get her degree.  It was strange.  Gillian owed her entire life as it was to this girl, and she would be leaving soon.  It broke her heart.  She had an idea, and sent out another message quick.  **SO I NEED A WEDDING DRESS AND YOU NEED A PROM DRESS.  WANT TO COME SHOPPING WITH ME THIS WEEKEND?**

The response was quick. **OF COURSE! SAT @ NOON?**

 **SOUNDS PERFECT!**   Gillian heard the front door opening and closing.  Cal was home, which was good, they had some planning to do. 

When Cal opened the door, he saw his new fiancée tapping away fast at the keys on her laptop.  “Well, your tank is full, and I put air in the tires, the low pressure light was on.”

She looked up when he spoke and smiled. “Thank you, Cal.” She looked back to her computer.  Cal changed into his pajamas and climbed onto his side of the bed.  He looked at what she was working on.  She was looking up color schemes for weddings.  He laughed out loud when he realized what she was up to.  “You started planning fast!” He joked. 

“I’m not planning! Just brainstorming, that’s all!” she replied defensively.  Cal got out of bed and left the room.  When he came back, Gillian was surprised to see him with a yellow legal pad.  She didn’t even know that they had any of those.  He climbed back into bed, and he labeled the top of the pad in his now extremely familiar handwriting. _Wedding Plans._

“Well then, what are you thinking for a date?” he asked, writing _Date:_ centered underneath the title.

“Well, I’ve always wanted a fall wedding, but I don’t want to wait a year and a half to call you my husband.” She answered.

“So, how about November then?” He asked, and she laughed.  She laughed until she realized that he wasn’t laughing with her, he was serious. 

“Cal, you realize that November is six months away, right?”  She looked concerned as she raised her eyebrows at him. 

“Yes.  But people have planned a wedding in less time, so I think we can do this.  I want you to have your fall wedding, and I don’t want to wait.” 

“Cal, don’t forget, Emily is going to be at school in the fall.  We can do a wedding in June.  It’s okay.”

“She won’t be in school for Thanksgiving.  We can do it when she’s home for that.”  He countered.

“Cal! We can’t get married on Thanksgiving, everyone already has plans!”

“I know that! So we can do it the day after!  Emily will still be here, and we can enjoy her for another day after that before she heads back to California, and we head off on our honeymoon.  I think that’s the perfect time to do this.”

Gillian knew that she couldn’t budge him from his ideas once he got started.  “Okay.  Go ahead, write it down and make it official.” Next to the word Date, he wrote _November 23, 2012_.  Gillian had the next question.  “Cal, where are we going to do this?”

“Loker said we could use his backyard.  I guess it’s huge and flat, with a gazebo and everything.  I told him we would have to check it out first, but it seems like a really great and cheap option.”

Gillian nodded.  “Okay, but only if it really is as nice as he described it to you.  What about tables, chairs, food and a cake?”  She started frantically tapping the keys on her keyboard again.  Cal slowly grabbed her hands and pulled them toward him, away from the computer. 

“Calm down, luv.  We can rent the tables and chairs, and caterers and cake makers aren’t usually that hard to find.  Do you have any ideas for colors?” He asked her to try and get her mind off the other questions. 

“I was thinking like a reddish-orange, brown and green.  So we can make bouquets out of red and orange flowers tied with brown ribbons, and my bridesmaids can wear green dresses.”

“I think that’s great.”  He kissed her forehead.

She was almost afraid to ask her question, afraid that they had the same person in mind.  “Who do you want to be your best man?”

He thought for a moment before answering.  “Probably my brother, George.  I was his best man, and I’m sure he would return the favor.  If he can’t than Nick.  We have grown close, you know.” 

Gillian sighed with relief.  “I thought you might say Emily.”

“I thought about it, but I would rather have someone I see as a brother.  I know that Emily will be a big part of our wedding no matter what.”

“Actually, I wanted to ask her to be my maid of honor.  I owe this whole relationship to her, and I want to repay her somehow.”  Cal beamed with delight, as he wrote down all of the details on the legal pad. 

“When are you going to ask her?”

“Well, we are going dress shopping on Saturday, so probably then.”  Cal took the pad and pen and placed them on the nightstand on his side of the bed.  He also took Gillian’s laptop and placed it on top of the legal pad. 

“Let’s go to sleep.  I’m exhausted, and we have to work tomorrow.”  He grabbed her and dragged her under the covers.  They settled into their favorite pose, her back against his chest, with his arms wrapped around her.  They snuggled close, and tangled their legs together. 

“Alright.” She answered, wrapped in his cocoon. “But tomorrow we need to figure more stuff out.  This is coming up quick.”  Soon she had relaxed, and they both fell asleep. 

 

It was 11:30 when Emily arrived at her dad and Gill's house. She was really excited for dress shopping with Gillian, she had put off getting a prom dress for way too long. She walked through the front door. "Hey guys, I'm home." She called out.  

"I'm upstairs, just a minute." Came Gillian's response.  Emily grabbed herself a glass of water and sat at the table to wait.  On the table was a copy of her dad's book. She had her own copy, but hadn't read it yet.  She loved the dedication, and Gillian assured her the rest of the book was just as good.  Within minutes, Gillian strolled downstairs. She was wearing jeans and a brown T-shirt, a sight that wasn't common.  In fact, Emily didn't think she'd ever seen Gillian in jeans.

"Ready to go?" Gillian asked. 

"I've been ready since last week!" Emily hopped up from the seat and walked towards the door. Gillian followed. Emily hopped in the passenger seat of Gillian's car and turned on the radio.

"So where we going? Ria and Erin are meeting us at a shop in Virginia at three, so that gives us three hours to try to find you the perfect prom dress. Where would you like to shop?"  Gillian wanted to make sure Emily was aware of the plan before they left so she would know how much time they had.

"Let's go to the mall. There's a few shops there that have some nice prom dresses I would like to look at. We can get food, and then head to the dress shop!" Gillian pulled out of the driveway and drove in the general direction of the mall, it sounded like a good enough plan.

Gillian arrived at the mall, and parked the car in the parking garage. The two walked together toward the entrance of the mall, Emily chattering about Adam and Brad, and Gillian listening intently.  They had just happened to park closest to the food court.  The smells were beckoning them closer and closer to the counter.  Gillian caved first. “Okay, I’m starving, can we eat before we pick out your prom dress?”

“Yes! I think that’s brilliant!  I want Chinese, care to join me?”

“Oh, that place is my favorite!” The women laughed and went to stand in line for their sweet and sour chicken and lo mein.  They found a table and dug in, relishing the savory taste of the chicken.  They ate relatively quietly, and quickly because of their time constraints.  But Gillian was the one to break the silence again.  “Em, I have a somewhat serious question for you.”

Emily looked up, concerned. “What’s wrong, what did I do?”

Gillian laughed. “Nothing! You did nothing wrong, trust me!” She watched the younger woman’s shoulders relax, and smiled.  “I want to start by thanking you.  Thank you for meddling in my life, because I never would have found your father.  We would have kept missing each other’s cues for life, and it would have been too late before we realized it.  I can’t imagine my life any other way right now.” She watched as Emily beamed with pride, it exploded from every pore in her body.  “Without you, my life would be so boring right now.  I am happier than I have ever been.  So, I would like to ask you to share in the happiest day of my life, and be my maid of honor.  Is that okay?”

Emily jumped out of her seat, grinning from ear to ear.  “Are you serious right now, Gill?  Please, tell me you’re not joking.”

“I’m not joking.”

Emily ran around the table and practically knocked Gillian out of her chair with a hug that was so tight. “Of course I will!”  They both laughed together, as they finished their noodles and started toward the first shop that Emily wanted to look at. 

“Okay, so how does this work?”  Gillian asked, looking around at all the dresses. “I haven’t done this ever, my Mom made my prom dress.”

Emily walked around, looking at the racks.  “I am a size 6, and I like dresses that aren’t to poufy, and that have straps.  I like the colors red, yellow, and purple.  So if you see a dress that you think I might like to try on, give it to me and I will.”  Gillian nodded in understanding.  “And also, don’t let me turn anything down.  I have learned that it’s usually the clothes that I don’t want to try at first that I end up loving later.  So if I’m not sure, make sure I at least try it.” 

Gillian felt a bit overwhelmed.  The way Emily had described it, any dress in the store was fair game.  Where to begin?  She started by focusing on the three colors Emily had given her.  If it was featured prominently in the gown, she grabbed it.  She had about ten dresses in her hands, and Emily had about five.  Emily went into a dressing room to change.  A few minutes later, she came out in the first dress.  It was red, and silky.  The spaghetti straps attached to a ruffled bodice, and the skirt was long and thin like a maxi dress.  “You look beautiful!”

"Thanks." Came the reply. She regarded herself in the mirror, and Gillian just knew it.

"You're not crazy about it."

The teen nodded. "I can't tell you why, but not really. It's a gorgeous dress though.  I'll try another." She went back into her dressing room, trying them each on, and had narrowed it down to three possibles with four dresses left to try on. But Gillian knew they were done when she tried on the next dress.

Emily came out of the dressing room beaming. She was wearing a bright yellow dress that reached all the way down to her feet.  The bodice was fitted snugly, and the straps were covered in jewels and wrapped around her neck like a halter.  The skirt was loose and it flowed, and it wasn’t poufy.  The color and her skin tone matched perfectly. 

“That’s it.  That’s the dress.”

Emily nodded.  “I don’t even want to try the last three on, I just want to take this home.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, you look positively radiant.”  Emily beamed.  “Well, then hurry up! It’s two o’clock, and we have other places to be!”  Emily laughed at Gillian’s statement and headed back into her dressing room to change into her clothes again.  She went to the counter to check out while Gillian waited patiently at the door.  They walked out to the car together. 

While Gillian drove to the little shop in Virginia, Emily spoke up.  “Thank you for coming with me.  I’m glad I got to experience that with you.”

Gillian smiled.  “Anytime, Em.”

Emily looked straight ahead.  “It’s just not fair.  I mean, you take more interest in me than my own mother sometimes.  I know that she loves me, don’t get me wrong, but she never offered to go shopping with me, let alone to carpool with me.  She would have told me she would meet me there, and come whenever she felt like it.”  She sighed. “I just think it’s unfair that people like her can have kids, and people like you can’t.”  She looked over at Gillian’s face, to see how this was affecting her.  Gillian looked forlorn, and Emily regretted bringing it up.

They were quiet for a while.  “You’re right, it sucks.” Gillian finally said. “I care for you like a daughter, and we have a very unique bond.  I’ve wanted kids my whole life, and it just isn’t in the cards for me.  This isn’t how we planned on bringing this up.”  Emily looked at Gillian, confused.  “There are plenty of children out there that are in really bad situations.  I hear from Erin about all the shit living conditions they pull kids out of every day.”  Emily had never heard Gillian swear before. Gillian took a breath and continued.  “I just don’t understand how someone could mistreat a person like that.  A precious, tiny life.  It breaks my heart, because I know I could do so much better for them.  So, your father and I have seriously discussed becoming foster parents.”  Emily grabbed Gillian’s hand and squeezed it in support.  “We want to give kids a safe place, even if it is only for a short time, because we want to try and make a small difference.  And who knows, some of them might stay!”

Emily laughed. “I think that’s a great idea.  Who better to show them love than you two?”  They had pulled up to a small boutique, and parked nearby. 

“Okay.” Said Gillian, changing the subject.  “We need to try and find three bridesmaid dresses and one bride dress today.  We have a time crunch, the wedding is in six months.  So, let’s go!”  They laughed and got out of the car, heading into the shop, and waiting for their friends. 


	21. Chapter 21

Gillian was always on time.  In fact, Cal often joked about how she had to be fifteen minutes early for everything.  So when they arrived at the dress shop ten minutes late, they were surprised no one was waiting for them.  “I shouldn’t be surprised.” Gillian stated.  They were seated on a couch in the front of the store, waiting for the other two women to arrive. 

“What do you mean?” Emily asked, confused.

“I mean, Erin has a four year old and a nine month old, so I shouldn’t be surprised that she is late, and Ria is routinely late for work.”  They laughed together.  Ria was the first to arrive.  She was wearing skinny jeans and a tightly brown t-shirt with long silver necklaces.  She waved at them.  “Hi Gill, hey Emily, what’s up?”  She joined them on the couch.

“Not much.  We are just waiting on Erin.”  Gillian answered. 

“Great.  How about you, Emily?”

“Just a ton of studying.  I have finals soon.”

“But see, you’ve already been accepted to your college, right?”  Emily nodded.  “So then you don’t need to worry that much. I mean, it’s not like you suddenly won’t get in.”

Emily laughed.  “I guess I never thought of it that way! But I still want to do well, for me.”  Ria nodded, she understood the teens need to do well. 

“Did you guys find a prom dress?”

“Yes!” Emily pulled out her phone to show Ria the picture of herself she had snapped in the dressing room mirror. 

“Oh, Emily, that looks great! Seriously, that color rocks on you!” Ria complimented. 

Emily just grinned.  “I sent a picture of it to Adam already so that he can match.  Samantha’s parents are taking Brad for the night so both she and Adam can go to the prom without worrying about splitting time with each other.”

“That’s really nice of them.” Gillian remarked.  At that moment, Erin came rushing through the door.  She had pulled her long blonde hair into a messy bun.  She was wearing jeans and a very loosely fitting Carolina Panthers t-shirt. "Sorry guys. I was trying to get Felix down for his nap before I left. He screams bloody murder if I leave when he is awake."

"That's fine!" Gillian said as she stood up to hug her oldest friend. "I get it, you never need to explain yourself to me!"

Erin returned the hug and smiled. "This time next year you may have your own little distraction!"

Gillian laughed. "Fingers crossed! Now let's get looking at dresses. We have 6 months, people!"

"Well, what are we looking at first?" Emily asked. "If we all go running in different directions, it could take us way too long to do this."

"How about you each find a dress that you like. We are looking for green dresses with a pop of brown on it somewhere. I want to find them today, because I'm worried we may not get them in time if we have to order them." Gillian answered. 

A woman came over. Her blonde hair was up in a tight bun. She was wearing a white blouse and a black pencil skirt. "Hello, ladies! My name is Claire. Can I help you find anything today?"

"We are wedding and bridesmaid dress shopping today. The wedding is in November, so we want to find stuff off the rack, because ordering might take a while." Gillian answered.

"Great! Sounds like you have a plan. Who is the bride?"

Gillian raised her hand. "That would be me!  Hi, I’m Gillian.”  She and Claire shook hands.

"Well, congratulations! So what are we starting with?"

"Bridesmaid dresses." Gillian answered. She saw something suddenly and ran toward it. It was a long flowing green dress. "This is exactly the colors I am looking for. This green looks like the stem of a flower. That's what I want you guys to find. If it doesn't have any brown, that's okay, we can always get some ribbon and add it ourselves." The three women nodded, understanding. Gillian plucked that dress off the rack and looked at the size.  “Size six.  Here you go Em, try this on!” She thrust it toward the teen.

Emily laughed.  “Yes, Ma’am!” She took it and continued walking around, searching for other dresses.  Meanwhile, Claire walked over to get more information from Gillian.  “So, when is the actual date?”

“November 23rd.  It’s supposed to be an outdoor wedding, but I’m worried it will be too cold so close to December.”

“That’s right after Thanksgiving, correct? Why that date?”

Gillian pointed at Emily.  “That is my maid of honor, and soon to be Step-daughter.  She is going to college in California next year.  I wanted a fall wedding, and that was the only time in the fall she would be here for it.” 

Claire nodded.  “That’s great! Good for her!” Her smile was genuine.  “I have a few years before I have to send any kids off to school.  Do you have any other kids?”

“Nope. Emily is great, though.  She is the mastermind that got her father and I together in the first place.”  Gillian smiled.  She watched her friends as they each took 3-5 gowns each into the dressing rooms to try on. 

“About their dresses.  We may need to order them if you want everybody to match.”

Gillian shook her head.  “I’m not worried about all the dresses being the same style, I want them to feel comfortable.  Ria likes tighter dresses, Erin likes ones that flow, and I’m not really sure what Emily likes.  I just want to make sure all the colors are right.”  Claire nodded, seeming to understand.  “I’m going to head over toward the dressing rooms so I can see what they like.”  Gillian walked over to the dressing rooms just as Erin came out. 

“Gill, this was the only one that I found that really fits me.”  It went down to the floor.  It had spaghetti straps, and was flat across her chest.  The bodice itself was plain, but under the brown sash that tied in the back, there were ruffles that went down the skirt in tiers. 

“I think it looks great!” Gillian told her friend honestly.  “What do you think?”

“I like it.  It fits nice and isn’t too revealing.”

“Great! You found your dress!” They hugged. 

“I’m going to change back into my regular clothes, now.  One dress down, three to go!”  Erin disappeared back into her dressing room, and Gillian laughed. 

Ria came out next.  “I love this dress!”  It also had spaghetti straps.  The top was a slight V-neck that showed off her cleavage in a subtle way.  The dress was ruched, and hugged her curves tightly, until about a quarter of the way down her thighs.  Then, the skirt flowed freely down to her feet.  The brown sash tied in a bow on the front left side of her body. 

“Ria, you look fantastic!  I love that dress too!”  Erin came out of her dressing room with her dress in hand.  Gillian beckoned her over.  She compared the two side by side.  “The greens look so close, I can barely tell the difference.  Ria, your sash is a bit lighter, but I don’t think anyone will notice or care.  I think that works perfectly!”

Emily spoke up, still in her dressing room.  “Gill, I don’t know why I even bothered looking.”  She opened her door.  Her dress was strapless.  There wasn’t any ruching or jewels on it, it was very simple.  The top was flat against her chest.  The sash tied around her front in a floppy bow.  The skirt then fell to her feet, and it flowed, almost like the skirts Gillian had seen in Greek goddess costumes. 

“You look beautiful! Simple, but elegant.  It’s lovely, Em!”

“It’s the one you gave me to try, the first one you pulled off the rack.  I didn’t want to try it because it’s strapless, so it was the last one I did.  I shouldn’t have even bothered looking at others!”  All the women started laughing. 

“Alright!” Gillian laughed.  “You two should change into regular clothes.  Then, you need to start throwing dresses at me!”  Ria and Emily obliged, heading back into their respective rooms to change.  At this point, Claire came over again. 

“Okay, so what type of dresses do you like?”

“I tend to prefer straps, but I am open to strapless.  No particular type, halter, spaghetti, I just tend to like them.  And I’m not too keen on big dresses, you know, like the gigantic princess dresses.  And I like for it to look fancy, so crystals and lace are never a problem!  I usually fit in anything from a size eight to ten, but I know that can easily fluctuate here.”

Emily and Ria had joined them at that point.  “Alright.  Well in that corner there, we have all our bigger dresses, so avoid that.  But everything else is fair game!” Clair told them.

“So, are we just grabbing dresses that we want you to try?”  Ria asked.

“Pretty much!”  Gillian responded as she tied her hair up into a ponytail.  The women all left her, each running to a different corner of the store to look at dresses.  Gillian laughed to herself.  This would be fun.  She went over to where Ria was first.  Ria was looking at anything that she could find with ruffles. 

“I don’t know, I’ve always imagined you getting married in a dress with crazy ruffles!”  The woman told Gillian. 

“Have you really?” Gillian responded, laughing.  “I didn’t realize you imagined my wedding often!”

“Just over the past couple of months!  I knew it was coming, though.  Ever since that first Friday night we spent together, I knew you two would get married eventually!”

Gillian smiled and hugged her newest friend.  She then walked over to where Erin was looking.  Erin seemed to be contemplating things more.  She would hold it up, study it, and then decide what to do with it.  She was startled by Gillian behind her.  “You scared me!”

“I didn’t mean too! You aren’t all here, your mind keeps drifting.” Gillian referred to the faraway look Erin had on her face when studying the gown.

“Well, I am looking at the gown and trying to picture you in it.  If it’s not ‘you’ then it needs to go back on the rack.  Like this one, see.”  She held up a dress that had lace straps.  “I can picture you in this.  It’s not overly poufy, and you have always liked the classic look of lace.  So this goes in my ‘Gillian needs to try this’ pile.”  They laughed together. 

“Well whatever works.  I’ll let you get back to your thoughts.”  Lastly she walked over to Emily.  Emily had the most eclectic array of gowns assembled.  Some were plain and some were almost too much.  Gillian laughed as she watched the young woman revise her pile by getting rid of stuff and then coming back with more.  “Is there a method to the madness over here?”

“Not really” Emily answered.  “I just kind of grab stuff I like.  But then I think, ‘I like that one more than this one’ and change the whole thing.” 

Gillian laughed some more.  “Well, take your time, it looks like Ria has four dresses for me to try, and Erin’s not done looking yet.”  Ria was standing by the dressing room, waiting patiently, and Erin was looking at a dress, lost in thought.  “I won’t start without everyone, no worries.  And don’t rush!”  She left and walked toward where Ria was standing.  She took the gowns from Ria and hung them on one of three hooks, one for each pile of dresses from her friends.  She arranged them on the hook according to what order she wanted to try them on.  Emily came in with her pile next, she had four dresses as well.  Gillian arranged these on the hook as well while Emily took a seat on the couch next to Ria.  Erin came in a bit later with three dresses.  Gillian just placed them on the hook and closed the door.  “Let the madness begin!”

On the couch, the three women sat awkwardly.  They had all met before, but for Emily and Ria, this was a different setting than either of them had been in before, and Erin didn’t really know either of them that well at all. 

“So, Emily, Gill tells me you are going to school in California.”  Erin started.

“Yes.  San Jose State University for journalism.”

“That’s nice.  What kind of journalism?”

“I really want to do print articles, and I like writing thought provoking pieces.  I have been doing some freelance writing now, and people seem to really like it.”  Emily answered, obviously excited.

“Are you afraid to be so far away from home?”

“Not really.  I can Skype both of my parents, and I’ve already talked extensively with my roommate who is from the area.  She plans on giving me a tour as soon as I arrive, and her family is letting me stay with them for a few days before we actually move in.”

“That’s really nice!”  As Erin said that, the dressing room door opened with Gillian wearing dress number one.  It was ruffled in the bodice, but the skirt was draped.  It was strapless and hugged her curves beautifully. 

“Gill, you look amazing!” Ria cried. 

Gillian smiled.  “Thanks, but I’m just not crazy about it.  It is beautiful, don’t get me wrong.  I’m just not sure.”

“That’s okay! Keep trying!” Emily responded.  Gillian headed back into her dressing room to try another dress.  The women continued chatting on the couch. 

“How are Kiley and Felix doing?” Emily asked.

“They’re great, thanks for asking.  Ria, do you have kids?”

“No, I don’t.” Ria replied.  “I want them eventually, but I want to wait a few more years.  I would like to enjoy Alex while I can!” Erin and Ria laughed.  “What about you Em, how are things with Adam and Brad?”

“Pretty good.  Adam and I are enjoying each other while we can, he can’t really pack up his things and move with me to California.”

“So what’s the plan?” Ria asked.

“We want to enjoy each other while it lasts.  We don’t want to force the long distance thing, neither one of us thinks it’s fair.  But for now, we want to just be happy together.” And so the conversation went.  Every once in a while, Gillian would come out with a different gown on, and she wasn’t really loving any of them.  They all assured her to keep trying, and they kept talking.  When Gillian came out with gown number ten, she felt like crying. 

“This isn’t it either.  Guys, what if this takes forever?”

Erin jumped to the rescue quickly.  “Do you remember how many gown shops I had to go to before I found my perfect dress? Gill, this is only store number one, we can go shopping again next weekend if we have to.  Don’t feel pressure to buy the dress today.”  She hugged Gillian, and patted her back.  “Now try on that last dress quickly so we can go! I’m starving!”  They all laughed, and Gillian went back into her dressing room.  They started talking about food, and where they wanted to go to eat for dinner.  The conversation stopped when Gillian came out in the last dress. 

It was the one that Erin had held up when she was explaining her process to Gillian.  It had a mermaid skirt and a long train.  There was a jewel encrusted waistband. The jewel and lace neckline was high up on Gillian’s chest.  The straps met more lace in the back, with more jewels, and the dress buttoned up.  Gillian was in tears.  “This is it.  This is my dress” She cried, and her friends cheered. 

“You look amazing in it!” Emily said.

“I told you it was ‘you’!” Erin enthused.

“Yes you did!” Gillian agreed.  “Now, listen.  I heard you guys talking about food.  So I’m going to change, buy my dress, and I want in.  I trust you three to decide where to eat!”  They all laughed as she disappeared again, looking happier than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone wanted to see it, this is Gillian's dress.   
> http://www.rainingblossoms.com/all-bridal-gowns/5054-lace-jewel-neckline-mermaid-wedding-dress-with-beaded-waistband.html


	22. Chapter 22

Gillian knocked on Emily's door. "Can I come in?"  She heard some faint rustling, and the door opened in front of her. Emily was dressed in her prom gown and a pair of strappy silver high heels. Gillian entered the room and closed the door behind her. "How can I help?"

Emily sat in front of the vanity.  "Can you curl the bottom half of my hair while I put on my makeup?"  She had pulled half of her hair into a bun, and the rest of her hair was brushed and lying flat against her back. 

Gillian began taking down the teen's hair. "I have a better idea.  I'll curl all of it, and we'll put this in."  Gillian pulled out a stretch comb. It had yellow and black beads.

Emily smiled. "It's perfect! I've been searching all over for one of those!" 

"I know, I follow you on Facebook! When I saw you post about it I went searching in my old accessories!"  She had begun curling Emily’s hair bit by bit.  Her hair was naturally curly, so she didn’t have to do much, she just made them more pronounced.

Emily met Gillian's eyes in the mirror.  "Thank you." She said.  Gillian didn’t need to be able to read faces to see the gratification all over Emily’s face. 

Gillian continued to work on Emily’s long hair.  “What time is Adam coming?” She asked.

“He is picking me up at five, so he should be here soon for pictures.”  Emily answered.  She puckered her lips and put on some red lipstick. 

“What time will you two be home?”

“Around five in the morning.”  Gillian looked up, appalled, and Emily laughed at her face in the mirror.  “Look at you, going into mom mode on me!  Don’t worry! There is a school sponsored after prom party nearby.  They check bags and everything! My Mom signed a permission slip, and both she and Dad will get texts when I arrive at the party and when I leave.”  Gillian relaxed and laughed.  She had never gone into, as the teen said, mom mode like that before.

“I’m sorry.  You are an adult, I shouldn’t worry.” Gillian pulled the hair out of Emily’s face with the stretch comb.  Her hair looked perfect. 

Emily turned around to face Gillian.  “No, don’t apologize.  It means you care about me, and I like that.”  She leaned forward and hugged Gillian tightly.  “Thank you for everything.”

Gillian hugged her back.  _No, thank you._ She thought to herself.  “Alright, I’ll go downstairs and wait with your father.  He is awaiting the big reveal!”  Gillian hopped up and walked out of the room.  She headed downstairs and found Adam waiting.

“Thank God!” he exclaimed when he saw Gillian walk into the room.

She shot Cal a look.  “Have you been terrorizing this young man?” She asked. Cal gave her a sheepish grin, and she smacked his arm.  “Stop that!”  She turned to Adam. “I know you’ve only met him a few times, but trust me, his bark is way worse than his bite.  Whatever he told you, ignore it.  Emily looks beautiful and you guys will have fun.”

Cal spoke up.  “Sorry, mate.  Didn’t mean to frighten you.” He held out his hand to shake Adam’s.

“With all due respect, sir, you absolutely meant to frighten me.”  Gillian held back her giggle as they shook hands.  That was when Emily’s door opened upstairs, and they all looked up in anticipation. 

Gillian, of course, already knew what to expect, and she smiled as she watched the jaws of both men drop.  Emily looked amazing in her bright yellow dress.  It complemented her skin tone brilliantly, and she looked amazing in it.  Her shoes were silver, but the rest of her accessories were black, including the little rhinestone studded clutch that she held in her hand. 

“Wow. You look amazing, babe.” Adam finally had managed to speak. 

Cal stood up and walked over to his daughter, giving her a huge hug.  “You look gorgeous, Em.” He said as he kissed her head. 

She smiled.  “Thanks, guys! Are Mom and Tony here yet?” She asked.

“Not yet, but they should be soon.  Your Mom texted me about ten minutes ago, to tell me they were on their way.”  Cal answered.  Emily had gotten ready at her Dad’s house for a few reasons.  First, it’s where her dress was located.  Also, her Dad’s house was closer to the venue for the prom.  Also, the backyard was nicer for pictures.  Emily sat down on the couch next to Adam, who hadn’t stopped staring at her. Cal grilled her about the after prom party, and warned her he would know if she was late or left early, making Adam look more and more nervous. 

“Dad, I know.  You don’t need to worry about anything.” She replied.  When the doorbell rang, she threw herself back against the couch, relaxing.  “Saved by the bell!” she exclaimed.  Gillian got up to open the door for Zoe and Tony. 

They really were a sight to be seen.  Tony was wearing ripped jeans and a shirt with paint stains all over it.  Zoe was dressed in her typical grey pantsuit and closed toe black dress shoes.  You never would have put the two of them together. 

“Hi! Come one in!” Gillian said with a fake smile as she beckoned them into her home.  Zoe had an equally fake smile plastered on to her face.  The two women still had their differences, and avoided each other like the plague, which made situations like these extremely awkward. 

Gillian led the two into the living room.  Emily stood up and gave her mother a hug.  “Emily, you look beautiful!” Zoe exclaimed.

“Thanks, Mom!” Emily answered.  She moved toward the patio door.  “Is it time for pictures now?” She asked.  Everyone laughed and moved outside with her.  She was very eager.

Once outside, Emily and Adam posed near a tree in the shade.  Gillian took some great photos of them on her phone.  “Adam, are your parents coming?” Gillian asked.

“Nope, they are going straight to the venue to take pictures there.”  He answered.  He beckoned toward Cal and Zoe.  “She should get some pictures with you guys.”  On cue, Cal and Zoe stepped forward to take some pictures with their daughter, then just Zoe, and last, just Cal.  Cal and Gillian were both still in their work clothes, so at least he and Zoe looked nice together and cohesive. 

“Gill, get in here!” Emily said when she was getting pictures with just her Dad.  Gillian looked at Zoe, who looked a little hurt. 

She handed her phone to Tony.  “Do you mind?” She asked.

“Anything for you.” He said, as he took the phone.  They snapped a few photos together, and Gillian grabbed the phone back from Tony.  “Do you want to get a picture with Em and Zoe?” Gillian asked.

“Sure!”  Tony looked happy to be included as he grabbed Zoe’s hands and dragged her back toward her daughter.  Gillian took pictures of them on Zoe’s phone. 

“Gill, do you mind if I get one with just you?” Emily asked. 

Gillian couldn’t say no when Emily looked at her with those big brown eyes.  “I would love one with just you!”  Gillian replied.  She handed her phone to Cal, who took pictures of the two of them.  It started out normal, but he started lowering himself to the ground, or taking pictures from multiple angles. 

“Cal!” Gillian laughed.  “This is why I never give you the camera!”  She wrestled her phone from his hands, while Adam and Emily laughed along.  Zoe stood away from them, arms crossed with her head tilted to the side. She bit the corner of her cheek as she watched the scene in front of her. 

“Alright.” Zoe announced, “We have to go.  Goodbye honey, have fun.”  She walked over and kissed Emily on the cheek. 

“We should probably get going too.” Emily stated.  She hugged her father and Gillian.  “Thanks for letting me get ready here.” She said. 

“Anytime, luv.  It’s your house too.” Cal answered.  He hugged his daughter tighter.  Both him and Gillian stood back and waved as their guests left.  Cal looked at his watch.  “Oy! Gill, we’ve got to go!”

She looked at him, confused.  “Where do we need to go?” She asked him.

He grinned. “What, I didn’t tell you? Oh well, then.  I know what to get you for a wedding gift.”

“What, the ring wasn’t enough?” She asked, sarcastically.

“That’s an engagement gift.  Come on, then.  We have to go.” With that, he started walking up toward their car.  Gillian followed him, still confused.  Cal was waiting for her on the passenger side of the car, with the door already opened.  Gillian got in and buckled her seatbelt.  Cal hopped in the driver’s side, and pulled a small scrap of paper out of his pocket.  He typed the address into the GPS, and pulled out of their driveway.  He grabbed her hand and held it in his lap. 

Gillian knew he wouldn’t tell her what was up until he got there.  “How are you doing?” she asked him, breaking the silence. 

“Okay, how are you?” he asked, jokingly, and Gillian laughed.

“No, I mean about the whole prom thing?  You know Graduation is next week, right?  How are you doing?” She clarified. 

“Alright, I guess.  I don’t know, it just hit me today.  Seeing her in that dress, she really looked like a grown up.”  He sighed. “And I don’t trust that boy.” He added, finally.

“Why don’t you trust him?  Is it because he has a kid?”  Cal shook his head.  “Is it because you saw something in his face?”

“No!  He’s brutally honest.  He has no intentions to do anything to her.”

“Then what is it?”  Gillian asked, curious.

“I just don’t trust any boy that she dates.  She’s a pretty girl, Gill.  I know what teenage boys think about pretty girls.  It’s all rude, and I don’t like that he is thinking those things about my pretty girl.”  He answered. 

Gillian was quiet for a while.  “You know, you can’t police his thoughts.  You just have to trust that he won’t act on his impulses.  I think he learned his lesson the last time he did that.”  Cal nodded.  “I mean.  He is a great father.  He really is!  But I don’t think he wants to have to do that with another kid, and another girl.  The poor boy wouldn’t have a life.”

“You’re right.” Cal acknowledged.  “But I’m still not going to trust him.”

“What were you telling him when I came down anyway?” Gillian asked.

“Some exaggerated stories of my days with the MI6.” He answered, truthfully.  Gillian smacked his shoulder and laughed.  “Yeah, it was fun watching the different expressions change on his face!” He laughed.  He pulled into the driveway of a house Gillian didn’t recognize.  It was white with red shutters, and smaller than theirs.  He pulled to one side of the driveway and parked. 

“Come on, luv, get out.  We’re late.” He said to her as he unbuckled his seatbelt.  He got out and ran around to her side, opening the door for her. 

“Cal, whose house is this?”  He ignored her and walked up to the front door.  When he got there, he turned around, and waved his hand in a circle, telling her to hurry up.  When she met up with him, he rang the doorbell. 

A middle aged man answered.  Cal stuck out his hand.  “Hello.  I’m Cal Lightman, We talked on the phone?”

The man smiled, and shook Cal’s hand back.  “Ah, yes! I was hoping you hadn’t got lost, this place can be hard to find.  Oliver Lawley, nice to meet you.”  He looked at Gillian.  “This must be the fiancée then?” He asked. 

“Yeah. Gillian, say hello to Mr. Lawley.” Cal pointed at him, and Gillian rolled her eyes at Cal.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lawley.”  She shook his hand.

“Please, call me Oliver.” He answered.  Gillian and Cal nodded.  “Well, why don’t you two come in and see them for yourselves.”  He beckoned them inside, and they walked through his living room and into the kitchen.  He opened a door in the kitchen, and they followed him down into a finished basement. 

“Cal, are you going to tell me what’s up?”  Gillian asked, as they were walking down the stairs. 

“We are answering an ad in the paper luv.”  He answered. 

“That doesn’t clarify anything, Cal.”

Oliver laughed at the exchange between the two strangers in his house.  “Trust me, it’s a good surprise!” He piped up. 

They rounded the corner, and Gillian saw what they were there for.  Cal watched a huge smile come across her face.  Her mouth dropped open, and she started bouncing in place.  In a small pen were four of the most adorable golden puppies that Gillian had ever seen. 

“I have three females and one male left.  They are all ready to go, and have all their paperwork.   They are purebred golden retrievers, one of the best dogs you can own.  Very friendly, and extremely loyal.  Not always bright, but you would enjoy the hell out of them.”  Gillian had leaned down to pick one up.  She was holding it in her arms.  It was a lighter color than the rest of them, and bigger.  “That’s the male.” Oliver explained.  “He’s sweet.  He likes to cuddle.” 

Cal had picked up one of the more red colored dogs.  She sniffed and licked his face.  Gillian laughed.  “You guys can step right over that pen and get in with all of them if you want.” Oliver told them.  “It’s easier to pick one when you can see how all of them interact with you.”

Gillian didn’t need a second invitation.  She hopped right into the pen, and all three of the puppies that were in the pen hopped up on her legs, trying to get closer.  Cal put the one that he was holding back in the pen and joined Gillian, sitting on the floor.  Gillian joined him on the floor. 

All of the puppies were interested in them at first, but soon the appeal wore away, for all except one.  It was the one Cal had picked up.  She had stayed with both Cal and Gillian for the entire time they were there.  She had the cutest little ears, and if they didn’t pay attention to her, she barked at them and licked their hand.  Gillian picked her up.  “How about this one, Cal?”

“I think that’s a wonderful choice, luv.”  He kissed her sweetly.  After all this time, Gillian still felt like she could melt into a puddle every time Cal kissed her.  He ruffled the dog’s head and got up, pulling out his checkbook.  “How much for her?” he asked. 

Gillian stopped paying attention to Cal and played with their new puppy.  The dog was curled up on Gillian’s chest, and she couldn’t believe that one day this little thing would one day come up to her thigh.  She laughed to herself as she thought, _this must be what mothers think about their children._   She couldn’t stop smiling at the thought.  “Gill.”  She heard her name and snapped out of her bubble.  “Ready to go home?” Cal asked.

Gillian nodded, and they followed Oliver out of the house.  “Thank you for letting us look at your dogs.”  Gillian said.

Oliver laughed.  “Anytime.  Take care of her!”  They walked toward the car.  Cal opened the door for Gillian, and she sat with the puppy on her lap.  Cal got in the driver’s side and drove home.  He didn’t need the GPS, he was good at finding his way back. 

“Cal, we can’t call her the puppy her whole life, she needs a name.”  Gillian said, stroking the dog’s head. 

“What do you like?”

“I don’t know, throw some names at me!” She answered him.

Cal thought for a moment.  “What about Lucy?”

Gillian smiled.  “I think Lucy is wonderful!”  She patted the dog’s head again, and smiled at her fiancé.  “We don’t have anything at the house for her though!  We need to stop!”

Cal laughed.  “Do you think that I would surprise you with a puppy without being prepared?  All her stuff is hiding in a closet at home.”  They laughed.  Gillian took out her phone and snapped a picture.  She sent it to Emily.  **LUCY WILL B WAITING 4 U WHEN U GET HOME IN THE MORNING!**   She leaned over and kissed Cal on the cheek. 

“Alright.  Let’s go home then.”  He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

“Sounds good, luv.”


	23. Chapter 23

Cal and Gillian entered the bar, and the first thing Gillian saw was a platinum head running toward her. "Oh my gosh your new puppy is so cute!" Carrie's voice went up at the word 'cute', almost squealing it.  She gave both Gillian and Cal hugs.

"Yeah, not when she's pissing on the rug." Cal grumbled, and hugged her back. She led them to a booth, where the rest of their friends were waiting.  They had grabbed one that was shaped like a horseshoe, Ria and Alex sitting on the right side, and Eli waiting in the middle.  Carrie slid in first, to sit next to Eli, followed by Cal and Gillian. 

 “So, what’s new with you guys?” Alex asked them after they got situated.    

“Well, I’m sure Ria has told you all about our newest addition.” Gillian answered, and Ria smiled and nodded, indicating that she had. 

“I just think she’s so cute! I’m trying to convince him that we need one!”  She wrapped her arms around his forearm, and put her chin on his shoulder, looking at him with pleading eyes.  “Please, baby?  You know you want to!”  Alex smiled and shook his head.  “I don’t know, honey.  We can talk later.”  He kissed her sweetly, and Ria blushed. 

“What about you guys?” Gillian asked in return.

“Well, I finally got myself completely moved in to Ria’s place.” Alex answered.  “And I got a promotion at work.  So it’s been pretty great.”

“I’ve been grading final papers for days now.  It’s nice to have a break!” Carrie said.  She looked at Cal as if she had just remembered something.  “Am I remembering right? Is Emily graduating tomorrow?”  she asked.

Cal beamed with pride.  “Yes, she is.  Will we see you there?”

“Yes, I’ll be there.  All the teachers will!”

“Well, don’t be a stranger.  Also, everyone here is welcome to her graduation party on Sunday.  It wouldn’t be a party without you guys.”  Gillian responded.  Ria looked up at them. 

“Lightman, are you ready for this?”  She asked him. 

Cal’s smile dampened a bit.  “I am excited for her, and sad for me.  There’s only a few more months until she leaves me for California.  Until then, she is helping with wedding planning, and we have another beach trip planned in early August.  I plan on enjoying the hell out of her while she is here.”  Cal answered, truthfully. 

“Oh, a beach trip sounds like a great idea! You guy got some awesome pictures from your last one.  Carrie, we should plan one of those.” Eli stated. 

Carrie smiled up at him.  “Sounds like a plan, babe.”

“Alright, enough of all your sap, let’s get some drinks here.”  Cal demanded, and they all laughed.  Eli bought the first round.  They all went around telling crazy stories about their weeks, avoiding Lightman Group related stories when possible.  When they hung out, they did it as friends, not as colleagues.  Gillian usually talked about her nieces, Ria about Eva, Alex about some crazy bank customer, and Carrie about her students.  Suddenly, Ria got up from her seat on the end.  “Let’s dance!”  She yelled.  Alex got up quickly to join her. 

“Let’s go Cal!”  Gillian exclaimed as she pulled him behind her to the dance floor.  It was nice having Eli and Carrie there.  The group on the dance floor seemed better, and less awkward with another couple.  They all lost track of time while they were dancing, and spent the time making fun of one another and laughing.  They all loved slow dancing.  Each couple had taken sneaky pictures of the other couples dancing.  Cal and Gillian were the favorite targets, and they were always so into each other that they never noticed the cameras pointed at them.  When the first slow song came on, Cal pulled Gillian toward him, and held her tightly around her waist.  She put her arms around his shoulders, and tapped her forehead to his.  This way, they danced, melting into one another, and looking straight into the other person’s eyes.  Cal knew it was cliché, but the eyes were the windows to the soul, and he never tired of looking directly into Gillian’s loving eyes. 

Alex grabbed Ria, placing both of his hands on her hips, feeling the rhythm of the music as she moved them.  She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, and rested her head on his left shoulder. 

Eli wrapped his arms around Carrie’s waist, and she wrapped hers around his shoulders.  They both kept their heads alert, sometimes looking at each other, and sometimes looking around, not quite secure enough in their relationship yet to just gaze into each other’s eyes.  Eli found it incredibly intimidating. 

When the slow song was over, it was back to their small group.  Gillian left to buy the second round.  She knew it would be an early night, because they had to be up early for the graduation ceremony.  She guessed Carrie would be leaving early too.  She brought the second round to their booth, so everyone could drink at their leisure.  She sat down, and was joined by Ria. 

“How is the wedding planning going?” Ria asked.

Gillian smiled.  “Surprisingly well.  We booked a hall already, and found a justice of the peace.  I’m not worrying about seating charts, everyone can seat themselves.  We have a meeting next week with a cake decorator.  Tony’s friend, who was the DJ at Emily’s birthday party is going to DJ at the reception at a discount again.”

“Sounds like you have it all figured out then.”  Ria interrupted.

“Almost.  We need to find a rental company with some tables and chairs, the hall doesn’t supply them.  And so far, they are all telling us it’s unlikely that they will have what we need.  I still need to print and send out invitations, and I need to start getting decorations in order.  But that’s hard when I don’t know what we will get for tables.  I don’t know how many centerpieces to make, and…”

Ria grabbed her hand.  “Alright! Calm down!  You know, I am always available to help! And you will have Emily all summer, I’m sure she can help with invitations and centerpieces.  She’s your maid of honor, put her to work!”  The women laughed, and Gillian was relieved just a bit.  She was surprised at how much they had done in a month, she couldn’t sweat this small stuff.  Cal came over and sat down with them. 

“We have an early morning tomorrow, luv, do you want to go now?”

“Can we wait for the next slow song, please?”

“That’s fine, luv.  Whatever you want.” He had a drink and got back up.  “So, are you going to come dance with me, or what?”

Gillian smiled and got up, back to the dance floor where her friends were waiting.  It was a while before the next slow song came on, but Cal swooped her up into that all familiar pose that still made her heart melt.  It never ceased to amaze her how they molded into one, and she still felt butterflies in her stomach every time. 

_The smell of your skin_

_The taste of your kiss_

_The way you whisper in the dark_

Cal leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Gill, I love you. So much.”  She smiled into his neck as they swayed along with the music.

_Your hair all around me_

_Baby you surround me_

_You touch every place in my heart_

He pulled away and placed his forehead on hers, their normal spot.  She looked into his eyes.  “I love you too, Cal.” They kissed softly.

_Oh it feels like the first time every time_

_I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes_

It was true.  Every time they kissed brought her back to that night on her porch, after their first, very awkward, date.  She never grew tired of it.  It made her stomach flip, like an adolescent anticipating her first kiss.  Except, Gillian got to experience that feeling multiple times every day.  He pulled away again and gazed into her eyes.  “I’m glad to see you’re not sick of me yet” Gillian whispered, and they shared a giggle, never breaking eye contact.  When the song ended, too soon for their liking, they said goodbye to their friends.  Gillian hugged everyone, put on her jacket, and waited for Cal at the door. 

“Well, it was nice seeing you all again.  Will I see you tomorrow, Carrie?” Cal asked. 

“Yes, I’ll come find you.  I should get going soon too.  Sorry to cut it short, Ria.”  She looked at the woman apologetically. 

“Nah, it’s fine.  I understand, you guys have stuff to do tomorrow.  We’ll just make it longer next time!”  Ria laughed, and grabbed Alex, pulling him toward the dance floor.  Cal walked Gillian out to the car, opening the door for her, and running around to his side.

As they drove home, he couldn’t shake the compulsion to ask Gillian about her talk with Ria.  He didn’t want to pry, but he had seen how upset she was.  “What did Ria say that had you all worked up?”  He finally asked.

Gillian laughed.  “Oh, she just asked me how wedding planning was going.  I told her that most of the big stuff is all settled.  But you know me, Cal.  I get worked up about all the little details.  I know they won’t take long, but I still freaked out a bit when I started talking about them all.  That’s all.”

Cal nodded, he understood all too well.  Lately, Gillian had been nagging him about getting all the addresses he needed to send invitations out to his family.  He kept telling her he had already emailed them all with the date, and that flights had been booked.  She definitely tended to focus on the smaller issues, but he just took it day by day. 

They were greeted at home by the sound of little claws running across the tile in the kitchen.  “Hi, Lucy!” Gillian cooed, picking up the puppy.  “Did you miss us?”  She licked Gillian’s face in response.

“Don’t let her fool you, I took her out 10 minutes ago.”  Emily’s voice startled them. 

“What are you still doing up?  You’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow!” Cal lectured.

“Chill out, Dad, it’s fine.  I just can’t sleep, I’m too excited.” She answered. 

Gillian nodded.  “I remember I was the same way when I graduated.  I was too excited to sleep.  When I can’t sleep, I usually read, and eat a lot.”

Emily laughed. “All I do is listen to my music, and write.  And I use ear buds, so I hope it doesn’t bother you!”

“No! We can never hear you, no worries!”  Gillian reassured her. 

“This is all sweet, but you should at least try to go to sleep, luv.  Okay?”  Cal broke up their giggle fest. 

Emily sighed and rolled her eyes.  “Fine, Dad.  Goodnight.”  She hugged and kissed them both on their cheeks, and headed toward the stairs.  Gillian and Cal took off their shoes and followed her, changing quickly, setting the alarm, and collapsing into a deep sleep. 

When the alarm went off in the morning, Cal got up and headed downstairs to make breakfast for everyone while Gillian showered.  She straightened her hair and put on her makeup.  She dressed in a form fitting red dress stopped at her knees.  It had short sleeves and a V-neck.  She settled on black shoes, and one black barrette to put in her hair.  She walked downstairs to see breakfast already waiting for her at her usual spot at the table.  Emily hadn’t been down yet, as her plate was untouched.  Cal was almost done eating.  She took a sip of her coffee.  “Perfect, as usual.  Thank you, Cal.”  She sat down to eat her eggs.  “The shower is free, and I laid out your suit for you.” She told him.  “Hurry up, we don’t have much time.” She nagged. 

He laughed.  “I know, let me finish my breakfast, luv.  I’ll get right on the whole showering thing soon, I promise!”  They laughed together, and Gillian shoved a forkful of egg in her face. 

When Emily entered the room, it grew silent.  She looked beautiful, as always.  She had on a white sundress and white heels, and her hair had been straightened.  The sides of her hair were being held back with bobby pins.  Gillian got up and hugged her. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.  Dad made us breakfast, yours is waiting!” 

Emily grinned.  “Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime.  You look gorgeous, by the way.”  He answered.  He had finished his meal, so he picked up his plate and dropped it in the sink.  He headed upstairs to get ready.  Emily sat down to eat her eggs and toast.

“How soon after you went upstairs did you finally fall asleep?” Gillian asked the younger woman. 

“Around two hours.  It’s fine, I knew I’d be running on no sleep this morning.”  She leaned down and fed Lucy a piece of her toast. 

Gillian laughed. “I never thought I would have to lecture you about feeding the dog table scraps!”  The women both erupted into fits of giggles.  Gillian leaned down and gave Lucy the last bit of her toast.  “That’s it now, all done.”  She told the dog firmly. 

Emily shoveled the food into her mouth and stood up.  “I have to go, I can’t be late.  I’ll see you guys there.”  She ran around the table and kissed Gillian on the cheek.  Gillian reached out for her arm, and pulled the teen into a warm hug.

“I’m very proud of you.” She whispered to the teen.

Emily pulled away.  “Come on, Gill.  Don’t make me cry, my mascara will run.”  They both laughed.  Emily leaned down and scratched Lucy behind the ear.  “Bye, honey.  I’ll see you later.”  She walked through the kitchen and left. 

Gillian moved hers and Emily’s dishes to the sink and started to wash them while she waited for Cal.  She was only halfway through the dishes when Cal came in, dressed in his suit and tie.  “Let’s go, luv.  We don’t want to be late.”  She dried off her hands and followed him out to the car. 

Zoe had saved them seats near her and Tony.  She had really been trying her best with them, she knew she had burned her bridges badly.  When she saw them walk into the crowded gymnasium, she waved them over.  Cal sat next to her and Gillian sat next to him.  Was it funny that he felt he needed to keep his body between them?  Did he really think they would fight today of all days?  Gillian held out her hand.  “Hi, Zoe.  How are you doing?”

Zoe shook Gillian’s hand.  “Good.  I didn’t sleep much last night.”

“Neither did Emily, I guess.  She was awake when we got home.”

“Probably playing with that puppy.  She’s cute.” Zoe answered.  Before Gillian could answer, the band started playing pomp and circumstance.  Cal pulled out his camera and Gillian pulled out her phone, hoping to catch a glance of Emily while she walked.  Emily was about right in the middle of her line, and everyone got a clear shot of her walking down the aisle.  Gillian put away her phone and glanced at Cal.  She was surprised to see a tear in the corner of his eye.  She wiped it away, and grabbed on to his arm, holding him tight.

They sat like this for the whole ceremony, the speeches and the scholarships.  When they started calling names, Cal and Zoe stood up to walk a little closer to get a picture of their daughter getting her diploma.  Gillian stayed at her seat, poised with her phone, to try and catch one from there. 

“Emily Louise Lightman.” The principal called out her name, and the audience clapped.  They clapped the whole time.  But Gillian heard Cal’s voice above the rest.  “Woooooo! Go Emily!  Woooooo!”  Emily was beaming as she walked across the stage to accept her diploma.  Gillian stuck her fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle, one of her hidden talents, as she took a few pictures with her phone.  Zoe and Cal returned, sitting in their respective seats, and all three of them started comparing pictures.  Zoe and Gillian got the best ones, as Cal was too busy screaming encouragement.  Before they knew it, the new graduates were throwing their caps in the air and walking out of the gymnasium doors.  Everyone stood up and packed the doors behind them, trying to get out.

When they got outside, Zoe hugged her daughter tightly, and Tony lifted them both off of the ground.  Cal hugged her next, and Gillian hugged her last.  “Tony, was that you whistling for me?” She asked. 

He laughed.  “Nope.  That was Gill, and it scared the shit out of me when she did it.” 

Gillian laughed and blushed as the teen hugged her again.  Gillian turned around when she felt a tap on her shoulder.  It was Carrie, fulfilling her promise to meet them there.  “Hi! Carrie, how are you?”  Gillian hugged the blonde woman tightly.  She was wearing a yellow blouse and a white skirt.  Her stick straight hair was pulled up into a ponytail. 

“I’m good! Long time no see!”  She laughed.  She addressed Emily.  “Congratulations, Emily.  I hear you have big plans!  I’m sure you will do great.”

“Thanks, Miss. Getty.  Do you mind getting a picture of me and my family?”  She asked politely, and Carrie took the phone.  Cal and Gillian were on Emily’s right, and Zoe and Tony were on her left. 

“Alright.  On three say cheese! One, two, three!”  No one said cheese, they just smiled sweetly while Carrie took the photo.  Carrie handed the phone back to Emily.  “I have to go now, Eli says he has some sort of surprise for me.  Good luck, Emily!”  With that she hugged Gillian and Cal and left. 

Cal swooped in again and hugged his little girl tightly, and Gillian got a really sweet picture of the two of them.  It made her heart melt to see these two interact. 

“Do you mind if I interrupt?” A voice Gillian immediately recognized spoke up.  She turned around to see Adam standing behind her. 

“Adam! Congrats!  Hurry up, get in a picture with Emily!”  She ushered the two together.  They posed next to each other, her arm around his shoulders, and his around her waist.  Suddenly, he turned his head, and kissed her on the cheek. 

“Oh! Please tell me somebody got that!”  Gillian shouted and everyone laughed. 

They took pictures like this for about a half an hour, just enjoying the time together.  Soon, Zoe was making excuses about work, and Emily and Adam wanted to see a movie, so they all parted ways for now, until the graduation party. 


End file.
